Cytoskeletal active agents for glaucoma therapy

ABSTRACT

Methods for the treatment of glaucoma are described. The compounds described cause a perturbation of cell adhesions in the trabecular meshwork, mainly via disruption of the associated cytoskeletal structures or the modulation of their interactions with the underlying membrane. Perturbation of these adhesions reduces the resistance of the trabecular meshwork to fluid flow and thereby reduces intraocular pressure.

This invention was made with United States Government support awarded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Grant No. EY02698. The United States Government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the treatment of ocular disorders of the eye and more particularly to the treatment of glaucoma.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Description And Characterization Of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an ophthalmologic disorder responsible for visual impairment. It is the fourth most common cause of blindness and the second most common cause of visual loss in the United States, and the most common cause of irreversible visual loss among African-Americans. Generally speaking, the disease is characterized by a progressive neuropathy caused at least in part by deleterious effects resulting from increased intraocular pressure on the optic nerve. In normal individuals, intraocular pressures range from 12 to 20 mm Hg., averaging approximately 16 mm Hg. However, in individuals suffering from glaucoma, intraocular pressures generally rise above 25 to 30 mm Hg. and can sometimes reach 70 mm Hg. Importantly, the loss of vision can result from intraocular pressures only slightly above or even within the statistically normal range, in eyes which are unusually pressure-sensitive, over a period of years. Moreover, extremely high pressures (e.g., 70 mm Hg.) may cause blindness within only a few days. See, e.g., P. L. Kaufman and T. W. Mittag, "Medical Therapy Of Glaucoma," Ch. 9, Sec. II (pp. 9.7-9.30) In P. L. Kaufman and T. W. Mittag (eds.): Glaucoma (Vol. 7 of S. M. Podos and M. Yanoff (eds): Textbook of Ophthalmology Series). London, Mosby-Year Book Europe Ltd. (1994); A. C. Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology (W. B. Saunders Co., Sixth Ed.), pp. 386-89 (1981)!.

Several different types of glaucomas exist, each having different pathophysiologies and risk factors. In terms of classification, glaucomas may first be deemed to be either "primary" or "secondary." Primary glaucomas, discussed further below, result directly from anatomical and/or physiological disturbances in the flow of aqueous humor (i.e., intraocular fluid). Secondary glaucomas occur as a sequel to ocular injury (e.g., trauma inflicted to the eye) or preexisting disease (e.g., an intraocular tumor or an enlarged cataract). Though the various secondary glaucomas have different etiologies, they are similar to the primary glaucomas in that they all produce visual loss through optic neuropathy.

The major types of primary glaucomas include (i) open-angle glaucoma (also known as chronic or simple glaucoma), (ii) angle-closure glaucoma (also known as closed-angle or narrow-angle glaucoma), and (iii) congenital glaucoma (also known as infantile glaucoma).

Open-Angle glaucoma constitutes approximately 90% of all primary glaucomas. Open angle glaucoma is characterized by abnormally high resistance to fluid drainage from the eye. Intraocular pressure rises to the level required to drive the fluid normally produced by the eye, whose rate of formation is not altered in glaucoma, across the elevated resistance, according to the normal laws of physics governing passive bulk fluid flow across a resistance and down a pressure gradient. Normal resistance is required to maintain an intraocular pressure sufficient to: (i) maintain the shape of the eye (i.e., to keep it inflated) for optical integrity, and (ii) provide a pressure gradient to allow for the flow of aqueous humor, a fluid produced by the eye which provides for the metabolic needs of the avascular cornea and lens. This resistance is provided by the trabecular meshwork, a complex tissue consisting of specialized endothelial cells, connective tissue beams, and extracellular matrix.

Angle-closure glaucoma entails closure or blockage of the anterior chamber angle by another ocular structure (usually the iris), thereby restricting outflow of aqueous humor. Though angle-closure glaucoma only constitutes approximately 5% of primary glaucomas, it requires immediate medical attention. See, e.g., P. L. Kaufman and T. W. Mittag, "Medical Therapy Of Glaucoma," Ch. 9, Sec. II (pp. 9.7-9.30) In P. L. Kaufman and T. W. Mittag (eds.): Glaucoma (Vol. 7 of S. M. Podos and M. Yanoff (eds): Textbook of Ophthalmology Series). London, Mosby-Year Book Europe Ltd. (1994)!.

II. Etiology Of Glaucoma

Glaucoma has been associated with both pharmacological and nonpharmacological factors. Non-pharmacological factors include age, race, family history, diabetes, and blood pressure. For example, African Americans are four-to-five times as likely to develop open-angle glaucoma as are Caucasians. Similarly, open-angle glaucoma is much more prevalent in individuals over the age of 40, and especially in those over 60 years of age.

In addition, particular drugs have been associated with glaucoma. The corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone, dexamethasone, and hydrocortisone) are known to induce glaucoma following both ophthalmic and systemic administration systemic administration, by increasing resistance to aqueous humor outflow through the trabecular meshwork via a mechanism somehow genetically linked to primary open angle glaucoma. Dexamethasone has been associated with the most pronounced increase in intraocular pressure, and ophthalmic administration generally leads to greater increases than systemic administration.

Topically applied ophthalmic drugs which dilate the pupil (adrenergic agonists such as phenylephrine and epinephrine; anticholinergics such as atropine, scopolamine, homatropine, cyclopentolate and tropicamide) may induce angle-closure glaucoma, while the anticholinergics can increase resistance to aqueous humor outflow in susceptible individuals even without causing angle-closure, apparently related to their cycloplegic (ciliary muscle/accommodation-paralyzing) action. Adrenergic (e.g., central nervous system stimulants, appetite suppressants) and anticholinergic (e.g., bowel relaxants and tricyclic antidepressants) agents administered systemically may also induce angle closure glaucoma, via secondarily dilating the pupil.

III. Therapeutic Modalities

Current glaucoma therapies are restricted to reducing intraocular pressure. Presently, both surgical and pharmacological treatments are used.

A. Surgical Treatment

Both laser and incisional surgical procedures are employed. Although open-angle glaucoma is generally controlled by pharmacological agents, laser trabeculoplasty or filtering surgery to improve aqueous drainage can be considered in severe cases. See, e.g., The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (16th Edition, 1992); Sec. 17: Ophthalmologic Disorders; Subsec. 227: Glaucoma; J. T. Wilensky and L. M. Jampol, "Laser therapy for open angle glaucoma," Ophthalmology 88:203-212 (1981)!.

Because it constitutes a medical emergency, angle-closure glaucoma is the type of glaucoma that most frequently requires surgical intervention. As noted above, angle-closure glaucoma entails closure or blockage of the anterior chamber angle, thereby restricting outflow of aqueous humor. Angle-closure glaucoma can often be permanently cured by laser peripheral iridectomy performed within 12-48 hours after the onset of symptoms. Current Surgical Diagnosis & Treatment (Eighth Edition, 1988), Appleton & Lange, Ch. 41, pp. 819-820!. Though often necessary and quite effective for both open- and closed-angle glaucoma, surgical intervention is an invasive form of treatment, even if local anesthesia can be used.

B. Pharmacological Treatment

Chronic open-angle glaucoma is generally treated by ocular administration of one of several agents. For a particular patient, the concentration of the agent and the frequency of administration is generally determined by trial and error, beginning with one of the weaker available preparations (e.g., pilocarpine 1%). The miotic agents (i.e., agents that causes the pupil to contract) represent one frequently used class of glaucoma drugs. Though the precise mechanism of action has not yet been fully elucidated, the miotic drugs lower intraocular pressure in patients suffering from open angle glaucoma by facilitating aqueous humor outflow, in turn consequent to mechanical deformation of the trabecular meshwork by drug-induced contraction of the ciliary muscle. The miotics, appropriately referred to as cyclotonics in this context, may be either direct-acting (e.g., pilocarpine and carbachol, which act on the muscarinic receptors of the ciliary muscle to produce contraction) or indirect-acting (e.g., anti-cholinesterases, such as echothiophate and isoflurophate, which prevent the degradation of the endogenous cholinergic neurotransmitter acetylcholine, thereby permitting strong and continuous contraction of the ciliary muscle). The adverse effects associated with the miotic agents include painful ciliary or accommodative spasm and consequent induced fluctuating myopia and blurred vision (in patients under the age of approximately 45 years), ciliary or conjunctival congestion, ocular pain, headache, and the miosis itself, which can cause a disabling reduction of vision in elderly patients with early cataract formation (the combination of the small pupil and the cloudy lens critically reduce the amount of light reaching the retina). The longacting anticholinesterase are associated with the most severe and prolonged adverse effects, which may include development of cataracts or retinal detachment.

Several mydriatic agents are also useful in the initial treatment of open-angle glaucoma. For example, the sympathomimetic amines epinephrine and dipivefrin (a synthetic prodrug of epinephrine) lower intraocular pressure, at least in part through stimulation of β₂ -adrenergic receptors in the trabecular meshwork (the mydriatic effect being irrelevant to the reduction in intraocular pressure). The adverse ocular effects of both agents include ocular congestion or hyperemia, ocular pain and headache, and blurred vision. In addition, epinephrine occasionally causes untoward systemic effects, such as palpitation, tachycardia, and hypertension.

In addition, the relatively new α₂ -adrenergic agonist apraclonidine has been shown to be effective in the treatment of glaucoma by inhibition of aqueous humor formation. As with many of the other topical anti-glaucoma preparations, apraclonidine is associated with both ocular (e.g., mydriasis and eyelid retraction) and systemic (e.g., dry mouth and nose) adverse effects.

Both non-selective β₁ - and β₂ -adrenergic blocking agents (e.g., timolol and levobunolol) and β₁ -selective (e.g., betaxolol) adrenergic blocking agents are also used in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. The mechanism of action likely entails reduction of aqueous humor formation. Adverse ocular effects include ocular stinging and discomfort, tearing, itching and/or foreign body sensation, and ocular dryness. Systemic cardiovascular and pulmonary adverse effects are of greater concern, are not uncommon especially in predisposed individuals (e.g., the elderly, patients with underlying cardiovascular or respiratory system disease, or those taking β- adrenergic blocking agents systemically for other conditions), and may occasionally be life-threatening.

In general, the above-mentioned agents can be used in combination therapy. For example, pilocarpine can be added to a timolol regimen to achieve further reduction in intraocular pressure. Similarly, an orally administered carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (e.g., acetazolamide) can be added to an ocular regimen to enhance treatment. Many adverse effects have been associated with the oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, including gastrointestinal, central nervous system, hematologic, renal, electrolyte (especially dangerous in patients with heart disease taking digitalis and other salt-wasting diuretics concurrently), and metabolic disturbances. Of course, the potential incidence of adverse effects increases when more than one agent is being used in a treatment regimen. See generally AHFS Drug Information 93, Gerald K. McEvoy, ed., pp. 1729-53 and 1767-79 (1993); The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (16th Edition, 1992); Sec. 17: Ophthalmologic Disorders; Subsec. 227: Glaucoma!.

As set forth above, untreated glaucoma can result in severe consequences, including blindness. Clearly, new treatment methods and agents are needed and would be welcomed by those plagued by glaucoma who either cannot tolerate available treatment regimens or who are unwilling to undergo invasive surgical procedures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes chemical agents that can be used to treat glaucoma.

The compounds of the present invention cause a pharmacological perturbation of cell adhesions, mainly via disruption of the associated cytoskeletal structures or the modulation of their interactions with the membrane. Perturbation of these adhesions reduces the resistance of the trabecular meshwork to fluid flow and thereby reduces intraocular pressure in a therapeutically useful manner.

The present invention contemplates a method of enhancing aqueous humor outflow in the eye of a subject to treat glaucoma, comprising: a) providing a subject with glaucoma; and b) administering to the subject an ophthalmic preparation comprising an effective amount of a non-corneotoxic serine-threonine kinase inhibitor, thereby enhancing aqueous humor outflow in the eye and treating the glaucoma. In one embodiment of the present invention, the serine-threonine kinase inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of H-7, ML-7, staurosporine, and KT-5926. In particular embodiments, the method of administration is topical. In other embodiments, the method of administration is intracameral. In still further embodiments, the method of administration is intracanalicular.

Moreover, the present invention contemplates a method of enhancing aqueous humor outflow in the eye of a subject to treat glaucoma, comprising: a) providing a subject with glaucoma; and b) administering to the subject an ophthalmic preparation comprising an effective amount of either H-7, staurosporine, or latrunculin-A, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, thereby enhancing aqueous humor outflow in the eye and treating the glaucoma. In some embodiments, the method of administration is topical, whereas it is intracameral in other embodiments. In still further embodiments, the method of administration is intracanalicular.

The present invention provides effective and non-invasive methods of treating glaucoma without causing untoward and unacceptable adverse effects, such as corneal edema.

DEFINITIONS

To facilitate understanding of the invention and the chemical schemes set forth in the disclosure that follows, a number of terms are defined below.

The term "ophthalmic preparation" refers to a composition containing a compound active so as to forestall the progression of glaucoma as well as other pharmaceutically acceptable ingredients. The characteristics of the composition will depend on a number of factors, including the mode of administration. For example, the composition may be a solution, suspension or the like that can be administered topically as an eyedrop. In addition, the composition may be in a form suitable for intracameral administration; for example, microinjection through the cornea into the anterior chamber so that the compound can reach the trabecular meshwork. Alternatively, the drug could be administered intracanalicularly, i.e., by retrograde microinjection into the venous collector channels draining Schlemm's canal or into Schlemm's canal itself. This eliminates the risk of corneotoxicity. The ophthalmic preparation may contain diluents, adjuvants and excipients, among other things.

The term "effective amount" refers to that amount of an ophthalmic preparation that is required to successfully treat glaucoma. The effective amount of an ophthalmic preparation may depend on a number of factors, including the age, race, and sex of the subject and the severity of the glaucoma and other factors responsible for biologic variability. Though the term effective amount is not limited to a particular mechanism of action for a specific compound, an effective amount may be that amount of a compound able to disrupt cell junctions in the trabecular meshwork of the eye to increase aqueous humor outflow.

The term "subject" includes humans as well as animals.

The term "glaucoma" refers to an ophthalmologic disorder responsible for visual impairment. The disease is characterized by a progressive neuropathy caused at least in part by deleterious effects resulting from intraocular pressure on the optic nerve. The term glaucoma refers broadly to both primary glaucomas, which include open-angle, angle-closure, and congenital glaucomas, and secondary glaucomas, which occur as a sequel to ocular injury or preexisting disease. Though not limited to any particular type of glaucoma, it is anticipated that the pharmacological agents and compounds of the present invention will be most efficacious in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma.

The term "aqueous humor outflow" refers to the drainage of aqueous humor from the eye. As described in further detail below, aqueous humor leaves the eye by passive bulk flow via two pathways at the anterior chamber angle, the trabecular or conventional route and the uveoscleral, posterior, or unconventional route. The term aqueous humor outflow refers to drainage via both pathways.

The terms "serine-threonine kinase inhibitors" and "ser-thr inhibitors" refer to compounds known to be myosin light-chain kinase inhibitors. These compounds primarily inhibit myosin light-chain kinase, thus inhibiting actomyosin-driven contractility; upon long exposure (≧30 minutes), they cause deterioration of the entire microfilament system. These changes affect predominantly cell-extracellular matrix adhesions. The ser-thr inhibitors include, but are not limited to, H-7, KT-5926, ML-7, and staurosporine.

The term "non-corneotoxic" refers generally to the absence of medically-unacceptable side effects on the cornea. One of the primary side effects to be avoided is corneal edema, which is manifested by abnormal fluid accumulation within the intercellular spaces of the cornea. A main etiologies of corneal edema is impairment of the corneal endothelium due to the introduction of drugs and other chemical compounds. Specular microscopy can be used to evaluate drug effects on the corneal endothelium, and the absence of a statistical change in corneal endothelial cell counts is indicative of a non-corneotoxic compound. In addition, the presence of corneal toxicity can be evaluated through ocular examination, which may include slit lamp biomicroscopy, gonioscopy, and corneal thickness measures.

The term "cytoskeletal active agent" refers broadly to compounds that affect the complex network of cytoplasmic filaments known collectively as the cytoskeleton. The three major classes of cytoskeletal filaments are actin microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubules. Generally speaking, cytoskeletal active agents work by perturbing the cytoskeletal filaments, through promotion of disruption of the filaments, interference with their stability, or disturbance of their interaction with other cytoskeletal components, and, indirectly, with the extracellular matrix.

The term "cell junctions" refers to cell-to-cell interactions/adhesions and to cell-to-extracellular matrix interactions/adhesions, both of which are necessary for integrated cellular activity and tissue architecture. Cell adhesion is closely associated with the actin microfilaments, which interact with both cell-matrix and cell-cell junctions through a complex submembrane interlinking "plaque". Compounds which disrupt cell junctions may do so by affecting the junction directly or by disrupting the actin network or promoting its dissociation from the membrane-bound plaque. More specifically, compounds which interfere with the formation of the actin microfilaments, promote disruption of the filaments, interfere with actin assembly into bundles, or disturb the relationship between actin and myosin or the plaque will disrupt cell junctions and cause cells to pull apart from each other or from the extracellular matrix.

The compounds of the present invention encompass pharmacological agents that directly affect the trabecular meshwork of the eye. The trabecular meshwork, a complex tissue consisting of specialized endothelial cells, connective tissue beams, and extracellular matrix, is responsible for the resistance to aqueous humor outflow. The compounds of the present invention affect, among other things, cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesions in the trabecular meshwork.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A schematically depicts the major anatomical structures of the eye.

FIG. 1B schematically illustrates the basic anatomy of the primate anterior chamber angle. The trabecular (conventional) route of aqueous humor flow is indicated by the uninterrupted lines, while the uveoscleral (unconventional) route of aqueous humor flow is indicated by the dashed lines.

FIG. 2 depicts the chemical structures of some of the compounds of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of the anterior chamber perfusion set-up used in conjunction with some of the experiments.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the attachment of a ciliary muscle strip to strain gauges in the muscle chamber apparatus. The muscle chamber apparatus is used to measure contractile force simultaneously in the longitudinal and circular vectors.

FIG. 5A is a bar graph illustrating the effect of several concentrations of H-7 on facility in living monkey given as an exchange infusion with total outflow facilitites measured by 2-level constant pressure perfusion before and after drug administration.

FIG. 5B is a bar graph illustrating the effect on facility of several concentrations of H-7 topically administered to living monkeys.

FIG. 6A graphically illustrates the effect of topical H-7 on pupil size.

FIG. 6B graphically illustrates the effect of topical H-7 on refraction.

FIGS. 7A-H graphically depict miotic response (FIGS. 7A, 7C, 7E, and 7G) and accommodative response (FIGS. 7B, 7D, 7F, and 7H) to intramuscular pilocarpine in either the presence or absence of H-7.

FIGS. 8A-C depict chart recorder traces obtained from a single in vitro ciliary muscle strip and were designed to determine the effect of H-7 on the ciliary muscle's contractile response to pilocarpine.

FIGS. 9A-D graphically depict the effect in living monkeys of latrunculin-A given as an exchange infusion with total outflow facilitites measured by 2-level constant pressure perfusion before and after drug administration. (FIG. 9A: 0.2 μM; FIG. 9B: 0.5 μM; FIG. 9C: 2.0 μM; and FIG. 9D: 5.0 μM).

FIG. 9E graphical illustrates the effect of latrunculin-A in ciliary muscle-disinserted eyes.

FIG. 10 graphically depicts the reversibility of the facility-effect of latarunculin-A.

FIGS. 11A-C graphically depict the effect in living monkeys of staurosporine given as an exchange infusion with total outflow facilitites measured by 2-level constant pressure perfusion before and after drug administration (FIG. 11A: 0.1 μM; FIG. 11B: 01.0 μM; FIG. 11C: 10.0 μM).

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the treatment of glaucoma. While the present invention does not depend on an understanding of the mechanism by which successful treatment is accomplished, it is believed that the compounds of the present invention cause transient, drug-induced dissociation of cell-cell junctions which facilitates fluid flow around the cells and across the monolayer ("pericellular route"), leading to reduction in intraocular pressure.

The description of the invention is divided into the following parts: I) Anatomical Considerations And Aqueous Humor Dynamics; II) Structural Considerations of the Eye; III) Cell Culture, Animal Model, and Experimental Apparatus; IV) Evaluation of Compounds for Use in the Present Invention; V) Potential Therapeutic Chemical Compounds; and VI) Composition and Administration of Compounds. Each of these parts will be discussed in turn.

I. ANATOMICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND AQUEOUS HUMOR DYNAMICS

A. Anatomical Considerations

The major anatomical structures of the eye are shown in FIG. 1A. See, e.g., Review of Medical Physiology, W. F. Ganong, Ch. 8: Vision (pp. 117-136); Appleton & Lange (Thirteenth Ed. 1987)!. Referring to FIG. 1A, the eye is surrounded by an outer protective layer, the sclera 1. The anterior portion of the sclera 1, the cornea 2, is modified to allow light rays to enter the eye. The choroid 3 resides within the sclera 1 and comprises vasculature which nourishes most of the structures of the eyeball. The posterior portion of the choroid 3 (i.e., that portion opposite the cornea 2) is lined by the retina 4. Generally speaking, the retina 4 is composed of the neural tissue containing the receptor cells that receive and process the incoming light rays.

FIG. 1A also depicts several other structures important for an understanding of the present invention. The transparent, biconvex lens 6, one of the refractive media of the eye, is secured by the lens ligament (zonule) 7 to the ciliary body 8. The ciliary body 8 is the thickened anterior portion of the choroid 3. The iris 9, the "colored" portion of the eye, lies in front of the lens 6 (i.e., the region between the lens 6 and the cornea 2). The iris 9 is composed of circular muscle fibers (not shown) that constrict the pupil and radial muscle fibers (not shown) that dilate the pupil. See Review of Medical Physiology, W. F. Ganong, Ch. 8: Vision (pp. 117-136); Appleton & Lange (Thirteenth Ed. 1987)!.

The relatively large region behind the lens 6 contains the vitreous humor 11, a clear gelatinous material. In contrast, the anterior chamber 12 of the eye contains a clear liquid material called the aqueous humor; the aqueous humor is also referred to as intraocular fluid. As described in more detail below, aqueous humor is produced in the ciliary body/ciliary processes 8. A region exists between the lens 6 and the iris 9, called the posterior chamber 16, that is also filled with aqueous humor.

B. Aqueous Humor Dynamics

One of the requirements of normal visual function is an optically clear pathway from the anterior corneal surface to the outer retina. This requirement precludes direct vascular perfusion of the transparent cornea 2 and lens 6 to satisfy their metabolic needs. The normal circulation of aqueous humor through the anterior chamber 12 and posterior chamber 16 against resistance not only satisfies corneal and lenticular metabolism, it also maintains optical clarity and the shape of the eye.

FIG. 1B schematically illustrates the basic anatomy of the primate anterior ocular segment and the normal pathways of aqueous humor flow. Aqueous humor enters the posterior chamber 16 from the ciliary body/ciliary processes 8 as a consequence of hydrostatic and osmotic gradients between the posterior chamber and the ciliary process vasculature and stroma and active ionic transport across the ciliary epithelium. The aqueous humor then flows around the lens 6 and through the pupil into the anterior chamber 12. The aqueous humor then leaves the eye by passive bulk flow via two pathways at the anterior chamber angle: (i) the trabecular or conventional route (hereafter "the trabecular route"), or (ii) the uveoscleral, posterior, or unconventional route (hereafter "the uveoscleral route"). With the trabecular route, aqueous humor travels through the trabecular meshwork 15, across the inner wall of Schlemm's canal 18 into its lumen, and then into collector channels 20, aqueous veins 21, and the general venous circulation (not labelled) (the trabecular route is indicated by the uninterrupted lines in FIG. 1B). In contrast, with the uveoscleral route, aqueous humor travels across the iris root, uveal meshwork, and the anterior face of the ciliary muscle, through the connective tissue between the muscle bundles, and then out through the sclera (the uveoscleral route is indicated by the dashed lines in FIG. 1B).

Aqueous humor is continually being produced and drained, and it is the balance between these two processes that regulates the pressure of the intraocular fluid. As previously indicated, glaucoma is characterized by elevated intraocular pressure. Briefly, open-angle glaucoma results from decreased permeability of the aqueous humor through the trabecular meshwork 15, whereas angle-closure glaucoma results from shifting of the iris 9 forward so that the anterior chamber angle 10 is obstructed.

II. STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS OF THE EYE

A. The Cytoskeleton

The shape, dynamics and adhesiveness of eucaryotic cells depends, to a large extent on a complex network of cytoplasmic filaments, known, collectively, as the cytoskeleton. There are three major classes of cytoskeletal filaments, including actin microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubules. Among these, most relevant for cell adhesion are the microfilaments which interact with both cell-matrix and cell-cell junctions through a complex submembrane interlinking "plaque". Recent studies have established that this interaction with the cytoskeleton is essential for the formation of stable junctions. Thus, disruption of the actin network or its dissociation from the membrane-bound plaque perturbs cell adhesion.

In forming this firm anchorage of actin filaments to the junctional membrane, several additional proteins participate, the perturbation of which might alter cell adhesion and which should thus be considered. These include both "anchor proteins" which are involved in the physical linkage of actin to the membrane, and myosin, an actin motor driven by ATP hydrolysis, which is responsible for muscle and non-muscle contractility. Myosin contains two identical heavy chains (M.W. ˜200,000) and two pairs of light chains of two different types (M.W. ˜20,000). In its active form, myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) catalyzes the phosphorylation of a myosin light chain, permitting myosin to interact with actin; this interaction results in the movement of myosin along the actin microfilament leading to cell contraction. Indeed, such movement is responsible for non-muscle and smooth muscle contraction. Moreover, it has been recently demonstrated that inhibition of this acto-myosin contraction may lead to a generalized disruption of the microfilament system.

Another important domain of cell junctions, the perturbation of which may adversely affect junction integrity and permeability, is the junctional plaque, a dense meshwork of proteins which links actin to the membrane. This plaque consists of a complex array of proteins including vinculin, different catenins, and alpha actinin. It has been recently demonstrated that the junctional plaque is a major sub-cellular target to tyrosyl-kinases and that augmentation or inhibition of this phosphorylation has dramatic effects on cell junctions. See generally, Bruce Alberts et al., Molecular Biology Of The Cell (Garland Publishing, Inc. 1994) Ch. 16 (pp. 787-861); James Darnell et al., Molecular Cell Biology (Scientific American Books, Inc. 1986) Ch. 19 (pp. 815-58); and B. Geiger, et al., "The molecular basis for the assembly and modulation of adherens type junctions," Cell Diff. & Dev. 32:343-354 (1990)!.

Interference with the formation of the microfilaments, promotion of disruption of the filaments, interference with actin assembly into bundles, or disturbance of the relationship between actin and myosin or the plaque can cause cells to pull apart from each other or from the extracellular matrix. It should also be pointed out that compounds that affect junctions, but that do not act through interactions with actin, are also candidates for therapeutic compounds. Ideally, perturbation of cell-cell adhesion might be selective, and achieved without completely breaking adhesions to the underlying extracellular matrix, avoiding a massive loss of cells. If such interference occurs in the fluid drainage pathways of the eye, it would enhance aqueous humor eggress from the eye, with a concomitant lowering of intraocular pressure. This concept forms the basis for the use of the therapeutic compounds of the present invention.

B. The Ocular Trabecular Meshwork

The trabecular meshwork consists of interlacing connective tissue beams, each surrounded or "coated" by a single layer of endothelial-like cells. The beams form a latticework, comprising several layers. The spaces between the beams are filled with extracellular matrix, consisting of glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans, and other macromolecules. The outer-most portion of the meshwork contains no beams, but rather several layers of endothelial cells imbedded in the "sea" of extracellular matrix. Just beyond this region is a small venous channel, the canal of Schlemm, which is connected to the general venous circulation. The pressure in Schlemm's canal is ˜9 mm Hg. The resistance of the trabecular meshwork normally is such that intraocular pressure is ˜16 mm Hg, at which aqueous humor leaves the eye at the same rate at which it is produced (˜2.5 μL/minute). The exact pathways by which aqueous humor flows through the meshwork and across the wall and thus into the lumen of Schlemm's canal, and the exact sites of resistance within the meshwork, are still unclear. However, it is clear that the barriers constituted by the cells, the extracellular matrix, and the adhesions between them are major determinants of both the flow pathways and the resistance to flow.

C. Pharmacological Effects On The Trabecular Meshwork

Several classes of drugs theoretically could act directly on the trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal to alter outflow facility. However, these classes of drugs may also affect smooth muscle, such as the ciliary muscle; ciliary muscle relaxation may cause an undesired decrease in facility. Because ciliary muscle contraction and relaxation cause an acute increase or decrease in facility, respectively, one must be able to determine whether a drug-induced facility change is due to a direct action on the conventional outflow channels or an indirect action exerted via altered ciliary muscle tone.

In primates, the ciliary muscle inserts at the scleral spur and trabecular meshwork (see FIG. 1B). Surgically disinserting and retrodisplacing the entire circumference of the muscle from the scleral spur to a more posterior location in monkeys yields a physiologically and morphologically viable in vivo preparation in which ciliary muscle tone no longer influences outflow facility. This preparation allows distinction between trabecularanalicular/downstream drug effects on the one hand and ciliary muscle-mediated effects on the other. Indeed, this preparation was used to prove that pilocarpine's effect on outflow facility was mediated essentially completely by ciliary muscle contraction. See, e.g., P. L. Kaufman and E. H. Barany, "Loss of acute pilocarpine effect on outflow facility following surgical disinsertion and retrodisplacement of the ciliary muscle from the sclera spur in the cynomolgus monkey," Invest. Ophthalmol. 15:793-807 (1976)!.

The disruption of overall trabecular meshwork architecture and the consequent increase in outflow facility by cytochalasins, calcium chelators, and sulfhydryl reactive agents has been studied in primates. However, these classes of agents collectively attack only a few of the potential cellular and junctional proteins whose alteration might rearrange meshwork geometry to therapeutic advantage. More importantly, these agents exert unwanted effects on other anterior segment structures whose integrity depends on those particular proteins.

Regarding the cytochalasins, researchers have found that they interfere with actin filaments and enhance fluid outflow from the living monkey eye; this finding was first published in the mid-1970's. See, e.g., P. L. Kaufman and E. H. Barany, "Cytochalasin B Reversibly Increases Outflow Facility in the Eye of the Cynomolgus Monkey," Invest. Ophth. & Visual Science 16(1):47-53 (1977)!. The cytochalasins are fungal metabolites. Though the precise mechanism by which the cytochalasins affect microfilament organization in living cells has not been fully elucidated, the mechanism is believed to entail interference with the dynamic equilibrium that exists in nonmuscle cells between actin filaments (F-actin) and monomeric actin (G-actin) and competition with endogenous filament capping agents; the action of cytochalasins is thought to involve prevention of G-actin polymerization by "capping" the filaments and preventing their growth. I. Spector et al., "Latrunculins-Novel Marine Macrolides That Disrupt Microfilament Organization and Affect Cell Growth: I. Comparison With Cytochalasin D," Cell Motil. & Cytoskel. 13:127-44 (1989)!. However, the cytochalasins are not presently being used in therapy for several reasons, most notably corneal intolerance upon acute administration.

Ethacrynic acid is most commonly known as a loop diuretic for the treatment of edema associated with congestive heart failure and hypertension. In addition, ethacrynic acid has been tested in regards to increasing aqueous humor outflow in the eye. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,089 to D. L. Epstein, hereby incorporated by reference, describes a method of increasing aqueous humor outflow by administering ethacrynic acid, or an analog thereof, containing a chemical group capable of reacting with sulfhydryl groups in the trabecular meshwork. Though the mechanism of action was not definitively set forth, it was proposed that chemical modification of cellular membrane-protein sulfhydryl groups results in cellular or intercellular permeability to fluid flow in the aqueous humor outflow channels.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,731 to D. L. Epstein, hereby incorporated by reference, entails an improvement to the subject matter presented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,089. The improvement involves the co-administration of a "masking agent" along with the sulfhydryl-reactive moiety to improve tolerability. While both topical and intracameral formulations of an ethacrynic acid analog were involved in clinical trials, they failed due to lack of efficacy. In addition, the topical agent was corneotoxic in monkeys. Similarly, recent studies have also shown that topically administered ethacrynic acid resulted in progressive corneal toxicity that was clinically unacceptable. M. A. Croft and P. L. Kaufman, "Effect of daily topical ethacrynic acid on aqueous humor dynamics in monkeys," Curr. Eye Res. 14:777-781 (1995)!.

Finally, research has been conducted with the calcium chelators EDTA and EGTA demonstrating breaking of cell-cell junctions in the trabecular meshwork and concomitant increases in outflow facility. See, e.g., A. Bill et al., "Effects of intracameral Na₂ EDTA and EGTA on aqueous outflow routes in the monkey eye," Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 19:492-504 (1980); A. Bill, "Basic physiology of the drainage of aqueous humor," In: L. Z. Bito et al. eds., The Ocular and Cerebrospinal Fluids. Fogarty International Center Symposium. London: Academic Press. Exp. Eye Res. 25:291-304 (1977)!. These compounds remove calcium ions that are necessary for Ca²⁺ -dependent junctions, and thus function by a mechanism of action distinct from the compounds of the present invention.

Thus, the classes of agents studied thus far collectively attack only a few of the potential cellular and junctional proteins whose alteration might rearrange meshwork geometry to therapeutic advantage. Moreover, these agents are associated with adverse effects that have contributed to their presently not being commercially available.

III. ANIMAL MODEL AND EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS

A. The Animal Model

Generally speaking, the use of in vitro techniques, such as cell culture and postmortem organ culture perfusion, has the advantage of isolating a single cell type or tissue and characterizing properties and responses free of the confounding effects of innervation, blood supply, circulating hormones, and the like. This is ideal for testing hypotheses based on specific cellular and molecular actions of compounds, and for screening candidate compounds. However, these confounding influences are an integral part of the living human system.

Thus, in order to discover unique anti-glaucoma therapies, an experimental model must be used that provides an understanding of the complex neuromuscular, vascular and biophysical systems at the whole organ level similar to the situation in the living human. Although there are some similarities, the anatomy, physiology, and pharmacological responses of the human aqueous humor formation and drainage apparatus (especially the latter) generally differ markedly from those of lower mammals. Furthermore, some of the necessary techniques are not readily adaptable to lower mammals. For example, it is virtually impossible to perform total iridectomy and ciliary muscle disinsertion via small limbal incisions in the cat or the rabbit without damaging other ocular tissues; more specifically, the iris is the cat is too thick and tough and the ciliary processes in the rabbit are located on the posterior surface of the iris. Moreover, anterior chamber perfusion in the living cat and rabbit eye gives more uncertain outflow facility values because of the tendency of the aqueous humor to clot (blood aqueous barrier breakdown) and the difficulty in the rabbit of maintaining stable anesthesia throughout a long experiment.

In contrast, the monkey is a suitable experimental animal because the biological apparati associated with aqueous humor formation and drainage closely resemble those of the human. Also, the monkey has a large accommodative amplitude, allowing technically simple, non-invasive, repeatable and reproducible assessment of ciliary muscle contractility under perturbed and non-perturbed conditions. Indeed, a previous report of the Glaucoma Panel of the National Advisory Eye Council noted the preferability of primates as opposed to sub-primate mammals for studies such as those described in this application. U.S. DHHS. Vision Research--A National Plan: 1983-87. 1987 Evaluation and Update. Report of the National Advisory Eye Council 1987; NIH Publication No. 87-2755:231-278.!

A number of different genera and species of monkeys have provided useful information regarding ocular structure and function, including the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus), the vervet monkey (African green; Cercopithecus ethiops), and several species of macaques cynomolgus-M. fasicularis (formerly M. irus); rhesus-M. mulatta; pigtail-M. nemestrina; and stumptail-M. arctoides!. The cynomolgus has been used most frequently, and a large body of information has been accumulated on the functional and structural characteristics and responses of its accommodation and aqueous humor formation and drainage apparati.

B. The Apparatus

Anterior Chamber Perfusion/Outflow Facility: The apparatus for determining aqueous humor outflow facility in the living monkey eye employs the two-level constant pressure perfusion technique. The technique, infusion solution (Barany's solution), and apparatus were originally described by Barany and subsequently modified by others, including one of the inventors of the present invention. See E. H. Barany, "Simultaneous measurements of changing intraocular pressure and outflow facility in the vervet monkey by constant pressure infusion," Invest. Ophthalmol. 3(2):135-143 (1964); P. L. Kaufman and E. H. Barany, "Loss of acute pilocarpine effect on outflow facility following surgical disinsertion and retrodisplacement of the ciliary muscle from the sclera spur in the cynomolgus monkey," Invest. Ophthalmol. 15:793-807 (1976)!. Indeed, the basic methodology is well-described in the literature and is standard in the field. See, e.g., M. J. Menage et al., "ε-Aminocaproic Acid Does Not Inhibit Outflow Resistance Washout in Monkeys," Invest. Ophthalmol Vis. Sci. 36(9):1745-1749 (1995)!. The experimental apparatus and the methodology of the experiments performed by the inventors is described in detail in the Experimental section, infra.

Ciliary Muscle Contractility: In addition to performing experiments on live monkeys, tissue culture experiments on monkey ciliary muscle have also been performed. The inventors of the present invention developed a custom apparatus (described in the Experimental section) in which the contractile properties of isolated monkey ciliary muscle strips, freed from their posterior attachments to the choroid/sclera and anterior attachments to the scleral spur/trabecular meshwork/cornea, can be studied in both the longitudinal contractile vector (putatively more outflow specific) and the circular contractile vector (putatively more accommodation specific) simultaneously. The apparatus represents an advance over other systems which permit measurement in only one, often undefined, vector at a time.

Although the apparatus may be utilized to identify compounds which will selectively stimulate contraction in the longitudinal vector only, and perhaps, therefore, replace the current miotic drugs (such as pilocarpine) used in the treatment for glaucoma, in the present context it serves primarily to determine whether the compounds of interest, especially those affecting actin or acto-myosin interactions or perturb cell-cell junctions (including those not affecting actin), inhibit ciliary muscle contractility. It is believed that physiologically, histochemically and morphologically, monkey ciliary muscle more closely resembles human ciliary muscle than does any other species.

IV. EVALUATION OF COMPOUNDS FOR USE IN THE PRESENT INVENTION

The screening (evaluation) procedures described hereafter can be used to test compounds that might exhibit beneficial effects by altering the cytoskeleton or the cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix adherens junctions. Specifically, it can be used to examine compounds that might affect cell junctions through perturbation of actin filament integrity or membrane anchorage or inhibition of contractility.

Screening is first performed in cell culture. To that end, endothelial cells, cultured on glass coverslips, are exposed to different concentrations of each compound for different periods of time. Thereafter, they are fixed and either examined under the microscope directly, or immunofluorescently-labeled for actin (since actin is a central element in both cellular-cellular and cellular-extracellular matrix adherens-type junctions), vinculin (a central element in both types of junctions), and cadherins and catenins (critical components of cell-cell contact whose presence and ability to interact are essential for junction integrity), as well as other junctional molecules. Those compounds which affect junction integrity or the integrity of the microfilament system are selected for further analysis. The effective concentrations in culture also serve as guidelines for the live animal experiments.

Some of the potential classes of compounds that may be screened using this procedure are set forth in Table 1.

                                      TABLE 1                                      __________________________________________________________________________     Class of Compound                                                                         Examples  Effect                                                    __________________________________________________________________________     Ser--Thr kinase                                                                           H-7, KT-5926, ML-7,                                                                      Cause relaxation of acto-myosin-induced tension,          inhibitors staurosporine                                                                            Upon long exposure (≧30 minutes), the entire                            microfilament system deteriorates. These                                       changes affect predominantly C-ECM adhesions.             Actin-disrupting drugs                                                                    latrunculin-A,                                                                           Specific and well-defined effects on actin                (macrolide compounds)                                                                     swinholide-A                                                                             filaments; might also affect junction integrity and                            consequently increase outflow facility.                   Tyrosine kinase                                                                           Tyrphostins                                                                              These compounds, families of synthetic tyrosine           inhibitors           kinase inhibitors with a highly diversified                                    specificity, effect growth factor stimulation.                                 Recent work demonstrated their capacity to                                     selectively inhibit tyrosine phosphorylation of                                cell-cell and cell-ECM adhesions. Tyrphostins                                  may either stabilize or de-stabilize cell                                      adhesions.                                                Protein tyrosine                                                                          sodium orthovanadate,                                                                    Treatment of cells with compounds enhances                phosphatase inhibitors*                                                                   pervanadate, various                                                                     protein tyrosine phosphorylation by preventing                       vanadyl salts                                                                            dephosphorylation of tyrosyl residues. Recent                                  studies established that the phosphorylation of                                tyrosyl residues on adherens junctional proteins                               such as catenins, paxillin, tensin, and others, may                            exert dramatic effects on junction                        __________________________________________________________________________                          integrity.                                                 *Y. R. Hadari et al., "Hepatic tyrosinephosphorylated proteins identified      and localized following in vivo inhibition of protein tyrosine                 phosphatses: effects pf H.sub.2 O.sub.2 and vanadate administration into       rat livers, "Mol. Cellular Endocrinol. 97:9-17 (1993); T. Volberg et al.,      "The effect of tyrosin protein phosphorylation on the assembly of              adherenstype junctions, "EMBO J 11:1733-1742 (1992).                     

Of course, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the potential classes of compounds set forth in Table 1. Rather, the present invention broadly contemplates screening for compounds that may beneficially alter cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix adherens junctions. For example, other agents that may be screened include angiotensin II, A1-adenosine agonists, acepromazine, promazine, aceclidine, lysophosphatidic acid, genistein; endothelin-, transforming growth factor, interleukin-1, platelet activating factor, and 3α,5β-tetrahydrocortisol.

Of course, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the potential classes of compounds set forth in Table 1. Rather, the present invention broadly contemplates screening for compounds that may beneficially alter cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix adherens junctions. For example, other agents that may be screened include angiotensin II, A1-adenosine agonists, acepromazine, promazine, aceclidine, lysophosphatidic acid, genistein; endothelin-, transforming growth factor, interleukin-1, platelet activating factor, and 3α,5β-tetrahydrocortisol.

The screening procedure set forth in Table 2A can be used initially to evaluate compounds such as those presented in Table 1 that may be effective in the treatment of glaucoma. Members of the serine-threonine kinase inhibitor class of compounds are particularly effective at enhancing aqueous humor outflow in the eye, and this screen is especially appropriate for compounds in that class.

                                      TABLE 2A                                     __________________________________________________________________________     Step                                                                              Determination          Conclusion                                           __________________________________________________________________________     I  Examine in vitro the effect of compounds on corneal                                                   Proceed To Step II                                      endothelial cells (e.g., monkey, cat, rabbit) and                              morphology in culture.                                                      II Determine the effect of compounds on overall ocular                                                   Proceed To Step III                                     tolerability/toxicity                                                       III                                                                               Determine the effect of compounds administered                                                        Consider proceeding to Screen                           topically on the intraocular pressure by non-invasive                                                 in Table 2B                                             measurement techniques (e.g., applanation tonometry)                        __________________________________________________________________________

Compounds that have shown promise based on the screen in Table 2A can then be examined in the more comprehensive screening procedure set forth below in Table 2B.

                                      TABLE 2B                                     __________________________________________________________________________     Step                                                                              Determination          Conclusion                                           __________________________________________________________________________     I  Determine compounds effectiveness on outflow                                                          Proceed To Step II                                      facility in living monkeys                                                  II Document whether compound is acting directly on the                                                   Proceed to Step III                                     trabecular meshwork in living monkeys with                                     disinserted ciliary muscle                                                  III                                                                               Perform electron microscopy to analyze the effect of                                                  Proceed to Step IV                                      the compounds on the structure of the trabecular                               meshwork and other tissues.                                                 IV Determine compounds effect on other properties,                                                       Consider Proceeding to Step V                           including refraction, accommodative and pupillary                              responses to pilocarpine; and corneal endothelial cell                         counts and morphology.                                                      V  Consider clinical trials on human subjects                                                            Consider therapeutic use if                                                    compound found to be safe and                                                  effective                                            __________________________________________________________________________

As illustrated by this outline of the sequence of experimental procedures and the description of the procedures themselves (described in the Experimental section below), thoughtful consideration allows any compound to be evaluated for use with the present invention. Indeed, as described in detail in the Experimental section, these screening procedures have been employed in the experiments performed on compound H-7.

V. POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS

Based on work in in vitro cell culture systems, three distinct classes of compounds have been identified which have potential for facilitating aqueous humor outflow. Specifically, these classes are: A) serine-threonine (ser-thr) kinase inhibitors; B) actin-disrupting drugs; and C) tyrosine kinase inhibitors or stimulators. Representative compounds from A) and B) have been administered in vivo to the eyes of living monkeys with and without disinserted ciliary muscles, and have, indeed, increased facility at dosages comparable to their effective concentrations for altering cell shape and cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion in vitro. Thus, these two classes of compounds apparently affect the trabecular meshwork such that they increase aqueous humor outflow facility.

In addition, the dose-time-response and dose-time-recovery relationships for prototype compounds in the ser-thr kinase inhibitor and actin-disrupting drug classes i.e., categories A) and B)! have been established in cell culture in vitro. Moreover, the dose-facility-response relationship for compounds in those two classes has been established through testing in live animals. It has also been found that facility-effective doses of the ser-thr kinase inhibitor class interfere with pupillary but not accommodative responses to pilocarpine. This phenomenon could have important therapeutic implications. Preventing miosis allows concurrent use of pilocarpine, since pilocarpine-induced miosis in elderly patients with early cataracts is visually disabling (too little light reaches retina). Preservation of the ciliary muscle response to pilocarpine maintains the therapeutic efficacy of that compound, and also maintains the near-focusing ability of younger patients.

The work with the ser-thr kinase inhibitors and the actin-disrupting compounds in the in vitro system using bovine aortic endothelial cells in culture was predictive of the compounds' ability to affect facility in the living primate both qualitatively and quantitatively. Both of these classes of compounds, as well as representatives from each class, will be described in detail below. It should be emphasized here that the compounds discussed in this section mainly disrupt cell junctions through an effect on microfilaments and/or membrane-microfilament binding.

A. Ser-thr Kinase Inhibitors (Affecting Myosin Light-Chain Kinase)

Several compounds known to be myosin light-chain kinase inhibitors were studied in the cynomolgus monkey eye in vivo. Data from one compound (H-7, described below) indicates that while these compounds primarily inhibit myosin light-chain kinase, thus inhibiting actomyosin-driven contractility, other mechanisms of action may also be involved.

The effect of these compounds may involve loosening cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix adherens junctions of trabecular meshwork cells, or altered cellular contractility, via a direct or indirect effect on actin filaments, actin-myosin interactions, or actin-membrane interactions. It should be noted that there are indirect indications that the ser-thr kinase inhibitors act due to their effect on myosin light chain kinase. Such inhibition can lead to inhibition of contractility of non-muscle cells or smooth muscle, but will not affect skeletal muscle, which uses a different contractile mechanism.

As described in the Experimental section, compounds in this class were tested to determine their effect on the isolated pilocarpine- or carbachol-precontracted rhesus monkey ciliary muscle. The muscle chamber apparatus is used to measure contractile force simultaneously in the longitudinal and circular vectors. The experimental findings regarding these agents further underscore previous structural and functional data indicating that different regions of the ciliary muscle have distinctly different properties from each other and from the iridial sphincter muscle which might be exploited to therapeutic advantage, as described above. N. Gupta et al, "Muscarinic receptor M1 and M2 subtypes in the human eye: QNB, pirenzipine, oxotremorine, and AFDX-116 in vitro autoradiography," Br. J. Ophthalmol. 78:555-559 (1994); X. Zhang et al, "Expression of muscarinic receptor subtype mRNA in the human ciliary muscle," Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 36:1645-1657 (1995)!.

H-7: One specific compound tested, the myosin light-chain kinase and cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase inhibitor 1-(5-isoquinolinyl-sulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine H-7! induced an ipsilateral increase in total outflow facility in normal and ciliary muscle-disinserted monkey eyes when perfused through the anterior chamber. In addition, H-7 inhibits ipsilateral pilocarpine-induced miosis at intracameral and intravitreal doses far lower than required for inhibition of accommodation. The methodology and results of these experiments are set forth in the Experimental section.

H-7's mechanism of action may involve loosening or weakening of cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix adherens junctions of trabecular meshwork cells, or altered cellular contractility, via an effect on actin filaments or acto-myosin interactions; indeed, H-7 has been reported to markedly increase thrombin-induced intercellular gap formation in confluent cultured bovine retinal pigment epithelial cells and induce deterioration of stress fibers in different cultured cells. T. Volberg et al., "Effect of protein kinase inhibitor H-7 on the contractility, integrity, and membrane anchorage of the microfilament system," Cell Motil. Cytoskel. 29:321-338 (1994)!. Further evidence strongly suggests that H-7 acts primarily to inhibit myosin light-chain kinase and thus inhibits actomyosin-driven contractility, eventually leading to perturbation of microfilaments. The chemical structure of H-7 is set forth in FIG. 2.

Staurosporine: Staurosporine is a microbial alkaloid produced by a Streptomyces species. The compound is known to possess several biological activities, including antifungal and hypotensive effects, inhibition of platelet aggregation, and promotion of cell differentiation. T. Tamaoki et al., Biochem, Biophys. Res. Commun. 135(2):397-402 (1986); H. Matsumoto and Y. Sasaki, Biochem, Biophys. Res. Commun. 158(1):105-09 (1989)!. As described in the Experimental section, staurosporine was found to increase outflow facility when perfused through the anterior chamber. FIG. 2 depicts the chemical structure of staurosporine.

Staurosporine is a modulator of ser-thr kinases that probably, like H-7, acts through inhibition of myosin light-chain kinase. Its effect on the trabecular meshwork has not been definitively elucidated, though staurosporine might decrease contractility, leading to a total disruption of the microfilament system.

Other Candidate Compounds: Based on the positive results of the experiments with H-7 and staurosporine, other ser-thr protein kinase inhibitors are contemplated by the present invention for treatment of glaucoma, including, but not limited to, ML-7 1-(5-iodonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-1H-Hexahydro-1,4-diazepine! and KT5926 (8R*,9S*,11S*)-(-)9-hydroxy-9-methoxycarbonyl-8-methyl-14-n-propoxy-2,3,9,10-tetrahydro-8,11-epoxy, 1H,8H, 11H-2,7b,11a-triazadibenzo a,g!cycloocta cde! trinden-1-one; Sigma!. It is believed that these compounds will have characteristics similar to H-7 due to their mechanisms of action. See, e.g., T. Volberg et al., "Effect of protein kinase inhibitor H-7 on the contractility, integrity, and membrane anchorage of the microfilament system," Cell Motil. Cytoskel. 29:321-338 (1994); S. Nakanishi et al., "KT5926, a potent and selective inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase," Mol Pharmacol 37:482-488 (1990)!.

ML-7: ML-7 is a myosin light chain kinase inhibitor commercially available from Sigma. Though not as extensively studied as some of the other protein kinase inhibitors, ML-7 has been found to effectively inhibit mouse lung carcinoma 3LL cell attachment to the fibronectin substratum. M. Isemura et al., "Myosin light chain kinase inhibitors ML-7 and ML-9 inhibit mouse lung carcinoma cell attachment to the fibronectin substratum," Cell Bio. Int. Rep. 15(10):965-972 (1991)!.

KT5926: KT5926 is a potent and selective inhibitor of myosin light-chain kinase. The compound has been shown to inhibit both Ca²⁺ /calmodulin-dependent and -independent smooth muscle myosin light chain kinases as well. Though KT5926 is deemed to be a selective inhibitor of myosin light-chain kinase, it, too inhibits other protein kinases, e.g., cAMP-dependent protein kinase, but with relatively high K_(i) values. The chemical structure of KT5926 is depicted in FIG. 2. S. Nakanishi et al., "KT5926, a potent and selective inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase," Mol Pharmacol 37:482-488 (1990)!.

B. Actin-Disrupting Compounds Affecting Actin Integrity

Actin assembly proceeds in all cells within the eye. For example, actin assembly occurs at the ciliary muscle, where it entails formation of α-smooth muscle actin which interacts with myosin during muscle fiber contraction. In addition, actin assembly most likely occurs in all cells at the trabecular meshwork, where it entails polymerization of G-actin monomers into F-actin filaments.

Latrunculin-A: Latrunculin-A, is a macrolide isolated from the red sea sponge Latrunculia magnifica that acts by destabilizing actin filaments and interfering with their formation. Y. Kashman et al., "Latrunculin, a new 2-thiazolidinione macrolide from the marine sponge Latrunculia magnifica," Tetrahedron Lett. 21:3629-3632 (1980)!. Latrunculin-A is the first marine macrolide found to contain 16-membered rings; its structure is set forth in FIG. 2.

Latrunculin-A binds monomeric G-actin in a 1:1 molar ratio and thus prevents the nucleation and elongation of actin filaments. See, e.g., I. Spector et al., "Latrunculins-Novel Marine Macrolides That Disrupt Microfilament Organization and Affet Cell Growth: I. Comparison With Cytochalasin D," Cell Motil. & Cytoskel. 13:127-44 (1989)!.

Researchers have compared the short- and long-term effects of latrunculin-A on cell shape and actin organization to those of cytochalasin D. The experimental results indicated that latrunculin-A (and latrunculin B, a related compound) were more potent and had significant differences on cell shape and actin organization compared to cytochalasin D. Moreover, the researchers determined that the concentration-effect relationship for latrunculin-A in vivo reflects the dissociation constant for the interaction of latrunculin-A with actin in vitro, in contrast to the situation with cytochalasin D. I. Spector et al., "Latrunculins-Novel Marine Macrolides That Disrupt Microfilament Organization and Affect Cell Growth: I. Comparison With Cytochalasin D," Cell Motil. & Cytoskel. 13:127-44 (1989)!.

In terms of latrunculin-A's efficacy as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of glaucoma, the inventors of the present invention found that, when perfused through the anterior chamber of the living cynomolgus monkey eye, latrunculin-A increases ipsilateral outflow facility (data presented in the Experimental section). The mechanism by which latrunculin-A affects outflow facility may involve inhibition of actin assembly in the trabecular meshwork cells, thus causing the cells to loosen their attachments to one another and/or to their extracellular matrix, and to change their shape, thereby enhancing outflow facility. In addition, since the ciliary muscle is a major site of α-smooth muscle actin assembly, there may also be an effect at this site, perhaps resulting in muscle relaxation and an increase in uveoscleral outflow. It is noteworthy that latrunculin-A primarily affects cell-cell junctions, in contrast to H-7 which mainly causes deterioration of cell-extracellular matrix adhesions.

Swinholide-A: Swinholide-A is isolated from the marine sponge Theonella swinhoei, and has been described as a 44-membered dimeric dilactone macrolide with a 2-fold axis of symmetry. The compound exhibits antifungal activity and has been shown to be highly cytotoxic to several cancer cell lines. Its chemical structure is set forth in FIG. 2.

Swinholide-A reportedly disrupts the actin cytoskeleton of cells grown in culture, sequesters actin dimers in vitro in both polymerizing and non-polymerizing buffers, and rapidly severs F-actin in vitro with high cooperativity. M. R. Bubb et al., "Swineholide A is a Microfilament Disrupting Marine Toxin that Stabilizes Actin Dimers and Severs Actin Filaments," J. Biol. Chem. 270:3463-3466 (1995)!.

In relation to its effect on outflow facility in monkeys, one of swinholide-A's primary mechanisms of action is believed to entail induction of the formation of G-actin dimers.

As detailed in the Experimental section, swinholide-A did not increase facility, whether administered via bolus or exchange infusion, at the doses studied. However, the apparent ineffectiveness of swinholide-A may result from inadequate dose or exposure time.

C. Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Or Stimulators

The third class of chemical entities is contemplated, based on work in in vitro cell culture systems, for facilitating aqueous humor outflow are the tyrosine kinase inhibitors or stimulators.

The tyrphostins represent one family of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These compounds, synthetic tyrosine kinase inhibitors with a highly diversified specificity, effect growth factor stimulation. Studies have demonstrated their capacity to selectively inhibit tyrosine phosphorylation of junctional (cell-cell and/or cell-extracellular matrix) proteins. Tyrphostins may either stabilize or de-stabilize cell adhesions. See T. Volberg et al., "The effect of tyrosin protein phosphorylation on the assembly of adherens-type junctions," EMBO J 11:1733-1742 (1992); T. Volberg et al., "Modulation of intercellular adherens-type junctions and tyrosine phosphorylation of their components in RSV-transformed cultured chick lens cells," Cell Regulation 2:105-120 (1991)!.

VI. COMPOSITION AND ADMINISTRATION OF COMPOUNDS

As indicated above, the present invention contemplates using therapeutic compositions of agents that mainly disrupt cell junctions through an effect on microfilaments and/or membrane-microfilament binding in the ocular fluid drainage pathways to reduce intraocular pressure. It is not intended that the present invention be limited by the particular nature of the therapeutic preparation. For example, such compositions can be provided together with physiologically tolerable liquid (e.g., saline), gel or solid carriers or vehicles, diluents, adjuvants and excipients, such as pharmaceutical grades of mannitol, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, sodium saccharin, cellulose, magnesium carbonate, and the like. These compositions typically contain 1%-95% of active ingredient, preferably 2%-70%.

These therapeutic preparations can be administered to mammals for veterinary use, such as with domestic animals, and clinical use in humans in a manner similar to other therapeutic agents. In general, the dosage required for therapeutic efficacy will vary according to the type of use and mode of administration, as well as the particularized requirements of individual hosts.

The therapeutic compositions contemplated by the present invention may be mixed with diluents or excipients which are physiological tolerable and compatible. Suitable diluents and excipients are, for example, water, saline, dextrose, glycerol, or the like, and combinations thereof. In addition, if desired the compositions may contain minor amounts of auxiliary substances such as wetting or emulsifying agents, stabilizing or pH buffering agents or preservatives.

For topical administration, the compounds of the present invention are generally dissolved or suspended in a carrier like physiological saline (e.g., 0.9%) or methyl cellulose (e.g, 3%). The high viscosity of a compound like methyl cellulose allows for increased contact time between the eye and the corneal surface, thereby allowing increased corneal penetration. Similarly, a compound like benzalkonium chloride (e.g., 0.025%) that disrupts the corneal membrane can also be used to facilitate corneal penetration.

As alluded to in the preceding paragraph, the preferred mode of administration for these compounds entails a solution or suspension that can be administered as an eyedrop. In addition, infrequent intracameral administration could be feasible if done infrequently (e.g., once-yearly) or for acute post-surgical situations. Of course, the therapeutic compounds may be investigated for their efficacy via other routes of administration, including oral, intravenous, intramuscular, and injection into the collector channels of Schlemm's canal itself.

Because some data has indicated that the compounds have a long duration of action, they may be effective at a dosing interval greater than that of currently available agents. Less frequent administration may be required if extracellular matrix material takes some time to re-accumulate in the ocular fluid drainage pathway following drug-induced wash-out of extracellular material.

EXPERIMENTAL

The following examples serve to illustrate certain preferred embodiments and aspects of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the scope thereof.

In the experimental disclosure which follows, the following abbreviations apply: mm (millimeters); Hg. (mercury); eq (equivalents); M (Molar); mM (millimolar); μM (micromolar); mmol (millimoles); μmol (micromoles); nmol (nanomoles); g (grams); mg (milligrams); μg (micrograms); kg (kilograms); L (liters); mL or ml (milliliters); μL or μl (microliters); cm (centimeters); mm (millimeters); μm (micrometers); nm (nanometers); mA (milli-amperes); min. (minutes); °C. (degrees Centigrade); Ca²⁺ (calcium ion); IV (intravenous); IM (intramuscular); SQ (subcutaneous); QD (daily); BID (twice daily); TID (three times daily); QID (four times daily); AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome); SAIDS (simian acquired immune deficiency syndrome); C-C (cell-cell); C-ECM (cell-extracellular matrix); MLCK (myosin light chain kinase); AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association); American Optical (Scientific Instrument Div., Buffalo, N.Y.); B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany); Calbiochem (San Diego, Calif.); Haag-Streit (Carl Zeiss, Thornwood, N.Y.); Hamilton Co. (Reno, Nev.); Harvard Apparatus Co., Inc. (South Natick); Keeler (Keeler Instruments, Inc., Broomall, Pa.); Kipp & Zonen (Bohemia, N.Y.); Norma Goertz Instruments (Elk Grove Village, Ill.); Seiler (Seiler Instrument Co., St. Louis, Mo.); Sigma (Sigma Chemical Company; St. Louis, Mo.); Statham (Ording Inc., Houston, Tex.); Tri-Point Medical L.P. (Raleigh, N.C.); SD (standard deviations); FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration); USP (United States Pharmacopeia); DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide); DMEM (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium); MES (2- N-morpholino!ethanesulfonic acid); s.e.m. (standard error of the mean); df (degrees of freedom).

Unless otherwise indicated, the examples that follow utilized the procedures and experimental animals described hereafter.

1. The Experimental Animals And The Animal Model

Absent definitive statements to the contrary, the procedures were performed on adolescent or young adult cynomolgus (Macaca fascicularis) or rhesus (Macaca mulatta) monkeys. Though both sexes were tested, female monkeys weighing 2-12 kg were primarily used. Rhesus monkeys were used for selective procedures only. Specifically, rhesus monkeys were used in (i) the ciliary muscle disinsertion protocols (which encompassed both rhesus and cynomolgus monkeys) and in (ii) the in vitro muscle contraction experiments (which encompassed rhesus monkeys almost, if not entirely, exclusively). It should be noted that, in order to minimize the risk of infection, cynomolgus and rhesus monkeys are rarely physically together in the laboratory (i.e., they are infrequently anesthetized in the same room).

In order to avoid the possibility of corneal decompensation, the number of anterior chamber cannulations the eyes underwent was limited. Rhesus monkey eyes had up to 8 perfusions, most of which were 2-needle. With cynomolgus monkeys, animals with less than five perfusions were chosen for the topical drop and perfusion experiments (though some animals not used in these experiments have had up to 20 perfusions). It should be noted that cynomolgus monkey eyes will usually tolerate 10 or more invasions before experiencing corneal decompensation. Although less experimental data are available for the rhesus as compared to the cynomolgus monkey aqueous formation and drainage apparati, enough data is known about each model to be confident that they are both representative of human physiology. The reason for using both rhesus and cynomolgus monkeys in the experiments relating to the present invention was to ensure that enough experimental animals would be available.

Empirically, it was found that approximately 8-10 experiments are required for any drug dose in order to obtain a reliable quantitative, statistically testable estimate of the response. Formal sample size calculations have corroborated this impression, as hereafter described. Generally speaking, the inventors wished to identify mean physiologic responses that were >25% of the baseline value (adjusted for non-drug or non-stimulus-related baseline drift) and >1.5 SD of the mean response. The following standard equation for sample size calculation was used: N=2 (Zα+Zβ)² /(Δ/σ)², where Zα=1.645 or 1.960 for one-sided and two-sided 5% significance, respectively; Zβ=0.84 or 1.282 for 80% and 90% power, respectively; Δ=population standard deviation; Δ=the difference (i.e., response) in the parameter being measured (Δ and σ must have the same units). From that equation, it was determined that 5.5 experiments were required to detect differences of 1.5 standard deviations in a paired test at a one-sided 5% significance level with 80% power, while 9.3 experiments were needed to detect such a difference at a two-sided 5% significance level with 90% power.

Some of the experimental animals were donated by or purchased from Corning Hazelton Laboratories (Madison, Wis.) or from the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center (Madison, Wis.). Other experimental animals were obtained from one of the inventor's breeding colony. The animals were used repeatedly until humanitarian considerations or loss of suitability required their sacrifice. The animals were used in the following experiments:

a) A group of approximately thirty surgically untouched animals underwent anterior chamber perfusion to work out drug dose-facility response relationships and/or drug interactions.

b) A group of approximately twelve monkeys underwent unilateral or bilateral ciliary muscle disinsertion. This group then underwent intracameral drug treatment/anterior chamber perfusion to assess drug effects on outflow facility independent of the drugs' effects on ciliary muscle tone. Non-invasive experiments were conduced up to twice weekly, depending on the type and duration of anesthesia; long-duration deep anesthesia experiments were neither performed on an animal more than once weekly nor for too many consecutive weeks. Invasive experiments were performed at four-to-six week intervals (whether the animal was ciliary muscle-disinserted or not) and only when the anterior chambers have no cells or flare at slit-lamp examination by a trained ophthalmologist.

Regarding care of the experimental animals, the animals were neither chained nor otherwise chronically restrained. In general, post-surgical analgesic medications were not employed for relatively minor surgical procedures (e.g., iridectomy, perfusions, tail cut-downs); the rationale was to allow recovery to be judged in the undrugged animal. Post-surgically, the animals were isolated in a recovery cage warmed with a heat lamp, given food and water ad libitum, and observed at least once daily by both a veterinarian or caretaker staff and one of the inventors or a project specialist staff. Following major procedures (e.g., ciliary muscle disinsertion), post-surgical analgesic medication (butorphanol 0.2-0.3 mg/kg SQ BID) was administered and the animals received intramuscular antibiotics (procaine penicillin G+dihydrostreptomycin sulfate; Pfizer, N.Y.) and glucocorticosteroids (methylprednisolone acetate; UpJohn, Kalamazoo, Mich.) daily for varying lengths of time.

When monkeys are having significant discomfort, they exhibit certain easily detectable behavior traits, including decreased activity, holding their heads, decreased responsiveness to human presence and other external stimuli, diminished interest in food and water. Any animal behaving in that manner was anesthetized with ketamine (dosing parameters described below) and carefully examined to determine the cause. Based upon the inventors personal experience, something is usually wrong (e.g., infection, overwhelming inflammation) with an animal behaving in such a manner so as to make the animal experimentally valueless and therapy difficult and protracted. Therefore, such animals are immediately euthanized in conjunction with the protocols of other investigators to spare them suffering (the details on euthanasia are set forth below).

2. Administration Of Anesthesia And Euthanasia

Several different anesthesia protocols were performed depending on the procedures being utilized or the length thereof. The protocols may be summarized as follows:

a) For experiments or procedures lasting less than 1 hr (e.g., iridectomy, suture removal, slit lamp examination, and photography), the following agents were administered: IM ketamine 10 mg/kg+IM diazepam 1 mg/kg or acepromazine 1 mg/kg.

b) For experiments or procedures lasting more than 1 hr (e.g., ciliary muscle disinsertion, anterior chamber perfusion, refraction with drugs), the following agents were administered: IM ketamine 10 mg/kg or IM methohexital-sodium 15 mg/kg in conjunction with IM pentobarbital-sodium 35 mg/kg. For especially long experiments (i.e., experiments exceeding approximately 3-4 hours), hourly supplemental IM pentobarbital doses of 10 mg/kg were usually required after the first 2-3 hours.

c) For euthanasia, the following agents were administered: IM ketamine 10 mg/kg+IM/IV pentobarbital overdose. The absence of a heart beat was confirmed in a manner consistent with recommendations of the AVMA Panel of Euthanasia.

3. Surgical Procedure

The methods of iris removal (limbal incision) and ciliary muscle disinsertion (goniotomy-like approach) are well known and have been described in detail elsewhere. See, e.g., P. L. Kaufman and E. Lutjen-Drecoll, "Total Irridectomy In The Primate in vivo: Surgical Technique And Postoperative Anatomy," Invest. Ophth. 14:766-771 (1975); P. L. Kaufman and E. H. Barany, "Loss of acute pilocarpine effect on outlfow facility following surgical disinsertion and retrodisplacement of the ciliary muscle from the scleral spur in the cynomolgus monkey," Invest. Ophth. 15:793-807 (1976)!. Those well-known procedures were followed in the experiments of this invention. Ciliary muscle disinsertion was verified gonioscopically, physiologically (i.e., through loss of accommodative and outflow facility responses to pilocarpine), and, in some eyes, histologically.

4. Drug Delivery

a) Topical: Eye drops were applied to the anesthetized monkeys as previously described.

b) Transcorneal: A 30 gauge needle was removed from its hub, connected directly to narrow-bore polyethylene tubing, and threaded through the cornea for several millimeters using a needle driver. The beveled tip of the needle was then pushed into the anterior chamber and drug was administered. The volume of solution delivered did not exceed 20 μl. The needle was then withdrawn from the anterior chamber without any loss of aqueous humor.

c) Intravitreal: A 27-30 gauge needle, prepared as above, was inserted directly into the vitreous through the pars plana at either the 10:00 or 2:00 positions. The total volume injected did not exceed 50 μl.

d) Systemic: Drug was administered via IM or IV injection. Alternatively, a venous or arterial line of polyethylene tubing was placed in the monkey's tail following a small incision and isolation of the vessel. See, e.g., B. T. Gabelt and P. L. Kaufman, "Prostaglandin F₂α increases uveoscleral outflow in the cynomolgus monkey," Exp. Eye Res. 49:389-402 (1989)!.

5. Cell Culture

To evaluate the junction- and cytoskeleton-disrupting potential of the various drugs, monolayers of cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells were used. These cells form, in culture, a continuous monolayer with well-developed intercellular junctions, extensive adhesion to the underlying matrix and a well-developed network of actin microfilaments. The integrity of the monolayer can be determined by light- and electron-microscopy, and the organization of the actin cytoskeleton by fluorescent labeling with fluophore-conjugated phalloidin.

These cells were selected because they are related to the trabecular meshwork cells which line the outflow system and because they were found to be very sensitive indicators for junction integrity.

The cells were plated at half confluency on clean glass coverslips and cultured in complete medium for 2-4 days until they reached confluency. The drug was then added to the culture medium for different periods of time, after which the cells were either fixed with a fixative appropriate for the specific antigen being examined or further incubated in a drug-free medium to examine recovery. Fixed or fixed-permeabilized cells were then either fluorescently labelled for actin using a fluorescein- or rhodamine-conjugated phalloidin or immunofluorescently labelled for the different cytoskeletal or junctional proteins.

Immunofluorescence microscopy and transmitted light microscopy were conducted, and the integrity of the microfilament system in control- and drug-treated cells was then compared visually. At the resolution of the light microscope used (Axiophot, Zeiss Oberkochen, Germany), intact junctions usually appeared as a single actin, viculin-, catenin-, and cadherin-rich "line". Disruption of the junctions led to disappearance of this line or its apparent division or "splitting" into two lines due to the dissociation of the junction. A digital microscopic system Z. Kam et al., "Mapping of adherens junction components using microscopic resonance energy transfer imaging," J. Cell Sci. 108:1051-1062 (1995)! was used for quantitative analyses, morphometry and 3-dimensional reconstruction.

6. Anterior Chamber Perfusion/Outflow Facility

As previously indicated, the apparatus for determining aqueous humor outflow facility in the living monkey eye employs the two-level constant pressure perfusion technique. This technique, and variations thereof, are well known in the art. See E. H. Barany, "Simultaneous measurements of changing intraocular pressure and outflow facility in the vervet monkey by constant pressure infusion," Invest. Ophthalmol. 3(2):135-143 (1964); P. L. Kaufman and E. H. Barany, "Loss of acute pilocarpine effect on outflow facility following surgical disinsertion and retrodisplacement of the ciliary muscle from the sclera spur in the cynomolgus monkey," Invest. Ophthalmol. 15:793-807 (1976)!.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the present apparatus as used for one eye. Two identical set-ups are used when studying two eyes of an animal simultaneously, as in the data presented hereafter. However, only one computer (Apple Macintosh II with National Instruments NB MIO-16 data acquisition board running perfusion program written by David Schuh using Labview for Macintosh, National Instruments, Austin, Tex.), amplifier and recorder (Soltec Corp. 4-channel recorder models 3314 and 6400, San Fernando; Linseis 4-channel recorder model 2045, Princeton Junction) are needed; they handle the input from both eyes simultaneously. The major components of the apparatus include customized 26-gauge needles and polyethylene tubing which connect the anterior chamber of the eye to a continuously-weighed fluid reservoir (Harvard Precision Adjustable Screw Stand (modified with motor and microswitches to raise and lower the reservoir), Harvard Apparatus Co., Inc., South Natick), the change in weight with time providing a measurement of flow. Other major components include a pressure transducer (Statham Universal Transducer P23XL; Ording Inc., Houston, Tex.), strain gauges (Statham Universal Transducing Cell GM2/GM3 with Microscale Accessory; Ording Inc.) and an infusion system via a series of two- and three-way stopcocks (HV3-2 and HV3-2; Hamilton Co., Reno). The infusion system allows regulation and measurement of intraocular pressure and rate of fluid flow from the reservoir and infusion syringe into the eye and calculation of outflow facility from those measurements. See, e.g., M. J. Menage et al. "ε-Aminocaproic Acid Does Not Inhibit Outflow Resistance Washout in Monkeys," Invest. Ophthalmol Vis. Sci. 36(9):1745-1749 (1995)!. The flow and pressure data are calculated from the electronic signals provided by the pressure transducer and strain gauge, the signal processing and calculations being performed on-line in real-time by the amplifier and computer, according to the inventors' own software. The recorder simply provides a back-up record of the flow and pressure data, from which the facility can be calculated off-line, should the computer fail.

In a typical experiment, the anterior chamber of each eye was cannulated transcorneally with one branched and one unbranched needle, and connected to the apparatus as described above. The exchange needles were inserted with the branched needle superior to the single needle and separated by several mm, and the opposite ends of the needles were attached to perfusand-filled tubing through which drug, vehicle, and perfusion solutions could pass into the eye. Anterior chamber exchange was accomplished by attaching the tubing of the single needle to a syringe on a pump. One tubing arm of the branched needle was detached from the reservoir of the perfusion apparatus and fixed at an intraocular pressure so that fluid could exit the eye without changing the intraocular pressure.

Baseline outflow facility measurements were taken for 35-45 minutes, after which the previously-clamped tubing from the unbranched needle was connected to syringes containing drug for one eye and vehicle for the opposite eye via customized cone-tipped needles, and unclamped. The syringes were placed in a Harvard Apparatus (Harvard pump model 944) variable-speed infusion pump. One tubing arm of the branched needle was detached from the reservoir of the perfusion apparatus and fixed at an elevated position so that fluid could exit the eye without changing intraocular pressure.

The inflow tubing was disconnected and the pump turned on to inflow at a rate that allowed 2 ml of drug/vehicle solution to pass through the anterior chamber in a 10-15 minute period via the single needle; the solution then exited the eye via the detached arm of the branched needle. During this period, the reservoirs were emptied and filled with the same solution that was infused into that eye. Following the exchange, the inflow line was reconnected to the reservoir of the perfusion apparatus and the tubing from the infusion syringes was clamped.

Facility measurements were taken for ninety minutes beginning either immediately, or after a waiting period of up to 90 minutes during which the infusion line from the reservoir was clamped. The content of the solutions in the syringes and reservoirs and the number and temporal spacing of infusions varied with the protocol. For example, (i) in a reversibility experiment, there was a second infusion after the post-first infusion measurement, in which both eyes received vehicle without active drug, and (ii) in monkeys with ciliary muscle disinsertion in one eye, both eyes received active drug after the baseline measurements. In all cases, facility was calculated by the method of successive weighted averaging.

7. The Muscle Chamber

Thus far, only H-7 has been tested in the muscle chamber. The muscle chamber will be used for additional compounds that show effectiveness on facility in vivo, and especially if they affect accommodative responses to pilocarpine in vivo. A description of the set-up and methodology follows hereafter.

The muscle chamber and the protocol for rhesus monkey tissue collection, ciliary muscle dissection and chamber mounting have been described in detail elsewhere. See, e.g., J. F. Poyer et al., "Aged does not affect contractile responses of the isolated rhesus monkey ciliary muscle to muscarinic agonists," Curr. Eye Res. 12(5):413-422 (1993); J. F. Poyer et al., "Prostaglandin F₂α effects on isolated rhesus monkey ciliary muscle," Invest. Ophth. Vis. Sci. 36:2461-2465 (1995)!. Briefly, globes were enucleated from rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) aged 6 to 18 years under deep pentobarbital anesthesia (25 mg/kg IV) just prior to or within 5 minutes of euthanization and placed in a cell culture medium (Medium 199 with added penicillin G/streptomycin (50 units/ml) and 10% fetal bovine serum; all from Sigma) at 4° C. The ciliary muscle was then dissected under a surgical microscope (Zeiss OP-MI 6), yielding a section of muscle approximately 4 cm circular×4 mm meridional and including the entire anterior-posterior extent of the ciliary muscle from the scleral spur to the ora serrata. A 5 mm circular×4 mm meridional strip was then cut from the section, secured to four acrylic attachment rods with cyanoacrylate adhesive (Tri-Point Medical and B. Braun Melsungen AG) and mounted in the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the attachment of a ciliary muscle strip to strain gauges in the muscle chamber apparatus. The muscle chamber apparatus is used to measure contractile force simultaneously in the longitudinal and circular vectors. Referring to FIG. 4, the first acrylic attachment rod 30 was positioned at the cut anterior end of the muscle 55 analogous to the scleral spur/trabecular meshwork; the second acrylic attachment rod 31 was positioned at the cut posterior end of the muscle analogous to the ora serrata 36. The first rod was connected to a first strain gauge (not shown) via a drop of paraffin wax, while the second, opposing rod, was clamped in position in the apparatus; the position of the clamp is depicted by the solid arrows 40. Force registered from the first strain gauge was represented primarily in the longitudinal (putatively more outflow-specific) vector of ciliary muscle contraction.

The third acrylic attachment rod 32 was positioned at the medial cut edge of the muscle 37 and was connected to a second strain gauge (not shown), while the fourth acrylic attachment rod 33 was clamped in position at the opposite lateral cut muscle edge 38; the position of the clamp is depicted by the solid arrows 41. The second strain gauge thus registered force representing primarily the circular (putatively more accommodation-specific) vector of ciliary muscle contraction. The remainder of the original muscle section is stored in culture medium (Medium 199; Sigma) at 4° C. for future use.

The muscle chamber was maintained at 34° C. and perfused continuously with warmed oxygenated Krebs solution made by the inventors themselves: ionic composition (mM): Na⁺ 143.3, K⁺ 5.9, Ca⁺² 2.6, Mg⁺² 1.2, Cl⁻ 128.3, H₂ PO₄ ⁻² 2.2, HCO₃ ⁻ 24.9, SO₄ ⁻² 1.2, glucose 11.1, pH 7.4, continuously oxygenated with 95% O₂ /5% CO₂ ! or Krebs solution containing drug. As alluded to above, the first and third attachment rods were secured via paraffin to two strain gauges (force transducers); the strain gauges were mounted on micropositioners for precise control of muscle resting tension. Muscle strip dimensions were measured by the use of dividers and Vernier calipers prior to and immediately following mounting in the muscle chamber. The original strip dimensions, reestablished in the muscle chamber, determined the muscle's resting tension (which ranged from 100 to 200 mg in both muscle vectors). Output from both strain gauges was recorded on a 2-channel flatbed recorder Kipp & Zonen (model BD112) and Norma Goertz Instruments (model Servoger 124)!.

A muscle strip was mounted in the muscle chamber beginning 1 hour after enucleation, used for 2 to 3 hours, and replaced by new strips (stored at 4° C. until use) successively over the next 8 to 10 hours. Muscle strips were also used on the day following enucleation, having been kept in the cell culture medium at 4° C. overnight.

In this system, the muscarinic agonist carbachol induced reproducible dose-dependent, atropine-inhibitable contractions in both vectors, with essentially super-imposable dose-response curves (data not shown). The responses were reproducible for the 2-3 hours use of fresh, same-day-stored and overnight-stored strips.

After a ciliary muscle strip has been equilibrated, increasing concentrations of the experimental compound dissolved in perfusand (Krebs solution) were perfused through the ciliary muscle chamber to establish a concentration-response curve. Different protocols were followed for compounds which mediate ciliary muscle contraction and for compounds which mediate ciliary muscle relaxation. For compounds which mediate ciliary muscle contraction, following equilibration of a ciliary muscle strip with plain Krebs solution, the strip was exposed to each successive concentration of test compound for a period of 15 minutes, followed by a further 15 minute period of exposure to plain Krebs solution once again, followed by the next concentration of test compound for 15 minutes, etc. The 15 minute period was used based on the inventors' experience that it is the minimum time necessary for establishment of a full drug effect or reversal of a drug effect.

For compounds which mediate ciliary muscle relaxation, after equilibration, each ciliary muscle strip was exposed to Krebs solution incorporating pilocarpine (10 μM) or carbachol (1 μM), concentrations of these cholinergic agonists known to mediate "just-maximal" contraction of the in vitro ciliary muscle in both contractile vectors. After 15 minutes of such exposure, the strips were then exposed to Krebs solution incorporating both a just-maximal concentration of cholinergic agent plus increasing concentrations of test compound (15 minutes at each concentration) until a reversal of some cholinergic-induced tone was seen. Thereafter, higher concentrations of test compound were utilized until a maximal reversal was seen. For compounds which mediate ciliary muscle relaxation, there was no 15 minute period between delivery of test compound at each concentration. However, at the conclusion of the test compound investigation, the strip was given a further 15 minute perfusion with Krebs solution incorporating the cholinergic agent for the purpose of testing the ability of the strip to recontract. Finally, perfusion with plain Krebs solution was used to establish the ability of the tissue to relax once again.

Starting concentrations of each test compound were determined from reports in the literature regarding the compound's effects on ciliary muscle contractility, accommodation, outflow facility and other biological parameters. In addition, starting concentrations were also influenced by in vivo monkey studies performed in the inventors' laboratories.

8. Other Experimental Procedures, Equipment, And Reagents

a) Tissue Culture Facilities: Tissue culture room contains two BioFlo laminar hoods, for CO₂ incubators, and a full set of accessory tools.

b) Microscopy: Two units are available for light microscopy. The first unit is equipped for live-specimen recording, with one upright and one inverted microscope, with temperature-controlled tables, video recording devices, videotape and video disc recorders and a semiautomatic microinjection system. The second unit consists of a digital microscopic system, with several light microscopes including a confocal microscope, and a computerized image reconstruction facility. The electron microscopic unit contains three transmission electron microscopes (Philips EM400, EM410, CM12) and two scanning electron microscopes (Philips 515, Jeol 6100) and is fully equipped for sample preparation.

c) Refraction/Accommodation: Refraction and Accommodation were measured with a Hartinger coincidence refractometer (Jena Hartinger model 602520-01220; Seiler).

d) Cell Counts and Morphology: Corneal endothelial cell counts and morphology were determined for H-7 by specular microphotography (Wide Field Specular Microscope fitted with an Olympus OMl 35 mm camera; U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,398, hereby incorporated by reference) using black and white negative film (Kodak TMY 400 ASA). Animals were anesthetized with ketamine alone or ketamine and acepromazine.

The microscope probe was placed on the cornea along the optical axis of the eye and photographs were taken. Prints were made by enlarging the negative 3.5-times, and the prints were overlaid by a grid with 14×14 mm squares. The total number of cells in each of four squares was counted and the average taken and multiplied by 100 to obtain the number of cells per square millimeter of the cornea.

e) Ocular Tolerability/Toxicity: Ocular exams, including slit lamp biomicroscopy (Zeiss or Haag-Streit), gonioscopy, and binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (American Optical or Keeler), were performed by a trained ophthalmologist, using when necessary contact lenses specially fabricated for the small monkey eye. P. L. Kaufman and I. H. Wallow, "Minified diagnostic contact lenses for biomicroscopic examination and photocoagulation of the anterior and posterior segment in small primates," Exp. Eye Res. 40:883-885 (1985)!. In addition, specular microscopy was used to evaluate drug effects on the corneal endothelium.

f) Barany's Solution: Barany's solution, a specialized physiologic phosphate buffer designed to minimize the facility increase induced by anterior chamber perfusion, is well-known in the art. E. H. Barany, "Simultaneous measurements of changing intraocular pressure and outflow facility in the vervet monkey by constant pressure infusion," Invest. Ophthalmol. 3(2):135-143 (1964)!. The inventors prepared their own solution, one liter of solution containing: 8 g NaCl; 0.35 g KCl; 0.17 g CaCl₂ ; 64 mg MgCl₂ ; 69 mg Na₂ H₂ PO₄ ; 13.7 mg NaH₂ PO₄ ; and 1 g glucose.

g) Source of Chemical Compounds: Both H-7 and staurosporine are commercially available from Sigma. Latrunculin-A and swinholide-A were provided by Dr. Ilan Spector.

As previously alluded to, latrunculin-A is a 2-thiazolidinone macrolide isolated from the marine sponge Latrunculia magnifica. The sponges are prominent in and may be collected from the Red Sea, where they can be found at a depth of 6.0 to 30.0 meters. The sponges may be squeezed manually to collect the toxic fluid. A combination of Sephadex LH-20 and Silica-gel chromatographies allows one to get rid of the glycerides in the fluid, and obtain three pure toxins, one of which is latrunculin-A which may be isolated via separation techniques known in the art. The structure of latrunculin-A, an oil, is presented in FIG. 2. Y. Kashman et al., "Latrunculin, a new 2-thiazolidinone macrolide isolated from the marine sponge Latrunculia magnifica," Tetrahedron Letters 21:3629-3632 (1980); I. Spector et al., "Latrunculins-Novel Marine Macrolides That Disrupt Microfilament Organization and Affect Cell Growth: I. Comparison With Cytochalasin D," Cell Motil. & Cytoskel. 13:127-44 (1989)!.

Swinholide-A is a macrolide isolated from the marine sponge Theonella swinhoei; the sponge may be collected, among other places, from the Red Sea. Swinholide-A may by obtained from frozen Theonella swinhoei lyophilized and successively extracted with petrol-ether and CH₂ Cl₂ /MeOH(8:2). The latter extract may then be chromatographed on Sephadex LH-20(MeOH/CHCl₃ (1:1)) and on silica gel (petrol-ether, ether, ethyl acetate). The ethyl acetate fractions provide swinholide-A as a microcrystalline compound (melting point, 102°, C₃₉ H₆₆ O₁₀.H₂ O). S. Carmely and Y. Kashman, "Structure of swinholide-A, a new macrolide from the marine sponge Theonella swinhoei," Tetrahedron Letters 26:511-514 (1985); M. R. Bubb et al, "Swineholide A is a Microfilament Disrupting Marine Toxin that Stabilizes Actin Dimers and Severs Actin Filaments," J. Biol. Chem. 270:3463-3466 (1995)!.

In addition, ML-7 (Sigma) and KT5926 (Sigma, Calbiochem) are commercially available. KT5926 may also be prepared from a related compound, K-252a, which is isolated by techniques, known in the art, from the culture broth of Nocardiopsis sp. K-252. H. Kase et al., "K-252a, a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C from microbial origin," J. Antibiotic. (Tokyo) 39:1059-1065 (1986)!. K-252a is acetylated with acetic anhydride and dimethylamineopyridine at the --NH and --OH positions. The acetate that is obtained is then acetylated by a Friedel-Crafts reaction and oxidized by a Baeyer-Villiger reaction at the 14-position and the acetyl groups are removed by treatment with sodium methoxide. The 14-hydroxy group introduced above is then n-propylated with sodium hydride and n-propyl iodide to yield KT5926. S. Nakanishi et al., "KT5926, a potent and selective inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase," Mol Pharmacol 37:482-488 (1990)!.

9. Data Analysis

a) Control Experiments: For each animal tested, one eye received drug and the opposite eye received vehicle without drug (i.e., a simultaneous contralateral, sham-treated paired control). For unilaterally ciliary muscle-disinserted animals, both eyes received a dose of drug known to be effective. In this situation, the control is the contralateral normal eye, as the question being addressed is whether ciliary muscle disinsertion matters (ie., whether the drug's action depend on ciliary muscle-trabecular meshwork connection). The statistical analysis is as described below.

For the cell culture experiments, the control was culture medium without drug. There is no statistical analysis in this context, the interpretation being descriptive, analogous to pathology. The effects are routinely monitored by microphotography.

b) Statistical Analysis: Well-known and accepted techniques were utilized to determine the effect of the compounds tested. The techniques are summarized below.

First, mean baseline facility for (i) treated eyes (more accurately, to-be-treated eyes) and (ii) control eyes (contralateral eyes from (i)) were determined. The mean baseline ratio of treated eyes/control eyes was then determined; eyes were deemed "equivalent" if they did not differ statistically from 1.0. Second, mean post-drug administration facility and mean control (i.e., post-vehicle) administration facility were determined, and the mean post-administration ratio was compared. Third, the mean ratio of post-administration/baseline was determined for both the treated eyes and the control eyes; using ratios reduces inter-animal variability. Finally, the mean ratio of the ratios determined in the third step was determined: (post-drug/baseline)_(treated) /(post-drug/baseline)_(control) !; this reduces inter- and intra-animal variability. A value statistically greater than 1.0 indicates a drug-induced facility increase (determined using a 2-tailed paired t-test).

As alluded to in the preceding paragraph, this strategy accounts for differences in baseline values between opposite eyes of the same animal, the effect of the perfusion itself, and differences in starting values between animals, thereby isolating the drug effect from other confounding variables.

The following examples serve to illustrate certain preferred embodiments and aspects of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the scope thereof.

EXAMPLE 1 Dose-Dependent Effect Of H-7 On Total Outflow Facility Occurs Through A Direct Effect On The Trabecular Meshwork

This example examined the dose-dependent effect of H-7 on total outflow facility, as measured by 2-level constant pressure perfusion of the anterior chamber (described above) of both eyes simultaneously with Barany's solution.

Initially, it should be noted that the protocols for the testing of H-7 (and some of the other compounds, described below) were as follows: (i) after determination of vehicle-only baselines, one eye received drug and the other eye received vehicle without drug; (ii) analogous to the first protocol, with the exception that after the post-drug determination, both eyes received vehicle without drug to determine reversibility of the drug effect; (iii) in monkeys with unilateral disinsertion of the ciliary muscle, both eyes received drug after determination of vehicle-only baseline; (iv) drug-free baseline facility was again determined in both eyes of animals which had received a facility-effective drug dose unilaterally on the first occasion; this protocol was conducted four-to-six weeks after the first. The second and first baselines were then compared, corrected for any change in the control eye, to see if the drug effect had persisted.

Increasing concentrations of H-7 were tested to determine the approximate dose which yielded a statistically significant increase in outflow facility. Initially, each concentration of H-7 was prepared by dissolving the appropriate amount of H-7 in Barany's solution. For the treated eye, H-7 was administered in Barany's solution without DMSO as a vehicle, while the contralateral eye was administered vehicle alone. In separate experiments, 2 ml of H-7 solution was passed through the anterior chamber of the eye in a 10-15 minute period. Facility measurements were taken 60 minutes thereafter.

FIG. 5A is a bar graph illustrating the effect of several concentrations of H-7 on facility. In FIG. 5A, the difference between the ratio of Rx/BL and 1.0 indicates the increase in facility in eyes administered H-7 (ipsilateral eyes) or vehicle alone (i.e., control or contralateral eyes) over baseline measurements (BL=pre-treatment (baseline) and Rx=post-treatment with H-7 or vehicle alone). In FIG. 5A, the "open" bars represent eyes administered vehicle only, while the "speckled" bars indicate eyes administered H-7. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of experimental animals, while *=p<0.05 and **=p<0.001 are the probabilities that the double ratio defined above equals 1.0 by the 2-tailed paired t-test.

At a concentration of 10 μM, no increase in outflow facility was found. However, at a concentration of 100 μM, a borderline-significant effect was observed (data not shown). When the initial post-treatment values for both the treated and the control eyes were eliminated (thereby examining a longer exposure time) at a concentration of 100 μM H-7, a stronger and statistically-significant effect was observed. Administration of 300 μM H-7 provided a larger and more strongly significant increase in outflow facility.

In addition, an experiment was also conducted to determine where H-7 exerts its effect. For this experiment, 300 μM H-7 was administered to nine monkeys with disinserted ciliary muscle in one eye, the contralateral eyes without disinsertion. As expected, the ciliary muscle-disinserted eyes had lower baseline facilities. However, both the ciliary muscle disinserted and the non-disinserted eyes exhibited essentially identical proportional increase in outflow facility following drug administration (FIG. 5A). In FIG. 5A, the "shaded" bar indicates ciliary muscle-disinserted eyes administered H-7, while the "speckled" bar represents normal eyes administered H-7. These data indicate that H-7 exerts its effect directly on the trabecular meshwork and not via the ciliary muscle. By comparison, pilocarpine exerts its effect via the ciliary muscle.

Finally, six-weeks after treatment, drug-free baseline facility was again determined in both eyes of animals which had received a facility-effective drug dose (100 or 300 μM) unilaterally on the first occasion. The second and first baselines were then compared, corrected for any change in the control eye, to see if the drug effect had persisted. As indicated on the far right in FIG. 5A (labeled 100/300), there was a significant increase in facility for the H-7 treated eyes as compared to the control eyes.

The results presented in FIG. 5A indicate that H-7 induced a dramatic dose-dependent facility increase. As set forth in the preceding paragraph, this increase is due to a direct effect on the trabecular meshwork. These in vivo experiments provide important information regarding the dose-dependent and the pharmacologic behavior of H-7, demonstrating its potential usefulness as an anti-glaucoma agent in humans.

EXAMPLE 2 H-7 Does Not Significantly Effect Corneal Endothelial Cell Counts At A Concentration Effective At Increasing Total Outflow Facility

In this example, the effect of 300 μM H-7 on corneal endothelium was determined in cynomolgus monkeys via transcorneal intracameral injection.

The basic experimental protocol was as follows. Following administration of ketamine (10 mg/kg) anesthesia, slit lamp examination was performed to provide a baseline evaluation of the cornea, lens, and anterior chamber. Thereafter, the monkeys were anesthetized with IM pentobarbital-sodium (35 mg/kg). A 3 mM H-7 solution (2.1858 mg H-7 dissolved in 2 ml Barany's solution, pH adjusted to 6-7) was manufactured, and 10 μl of that solution was administered to one eye and 10 μl of Barany's solution to the opposite eye (keeping the needle away from the area to be photographed during the transcorneal intracameral injection). Specular micrographs were taken at 1 and 3 hours after H-7 administration to determine corneal endothelial cell counts and morphology, and slit lamp examination was repeated, observing the cornea, lens, and anterior chamber for any changes from baseline. Finally, specular micrographs were performed again at two-three weeks after H-7 administration, allowing the determination of corneal endothelial cell counts and morphology.

Corneal endothelial cell counts were measured as the number of cells/mm² and are reported in Table 3. In Table 3, BL=baseline cell counts; Rx(1)=cell counts 1 hour after H-7 administration, Rx(2)=cell counts 3 hours after H-7 administration, and Rx(3)=cell counts 2 weeks after H-7 administration; Treated=eyes administered H-7; Control=eyes administered vehicle only; and T/C=Treated/Control. As indicated by the data presented in Table 3, the specular micrographs did not reveal a statistical change in cell counts (n=4, p=NS).

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                                Cell Count (cell/mm.sup.2)                                                     Treated    Control    T/C                                               ______________________________________                                         BL       2328 ± 51 2344 ± 54                                                                              0.99 ± 0.02                                Rx(1)    2481 ± 98  2756 ± 117                                                                            0.91 ± 0.06                                Rx(1)/BL  1.07 ± 0.06                                                                              1.18 ± 0.06                                                                           0.91 ± 0.07                                Rx(2)     2513 ± 131                                                                              2544 ± 33                                                                              0.99 ± 0.05                                Rx(2)/BL  1.08 ± 0.07                                                                              1.09 ± 0.04                                                                           0.99 ± 0.04                                Rx(3)    2569 ± 91 2525 ± 71                                                                              1.02 ± 0.04                                Rx(3)/BL  1.10 ± 0.05                                                                              1.08 ± 0.05                                                                           1.02 ± 0.03                                ______________________________________                                    

Similarly, no morphological changes in cells were observed. These results suggest that administration of outflow-facilitating doses of H-7 does not have a detrimental effect on corneal safety, at least in the young healthy monkey. Of course, this may or may not be the same situation in the older human population, which has an age-related decrease in endothelial cells.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned basic protocol for corneal endothelial cell counts will also be followed for other agents that show a positive effect on outflow facility. Moreover, determinations of corneal thickness, one measure of corneal endothelial cell function, can be performed to supplement these results.

EXAMPLE 3 The Effect Of Topical Administration Of H-7 On Outflow Facility In Cynomolgus Monkeys

Generally speaking, agents used in the treatment of glaucoma are administered topically as an eyedrop, rather than being injected into the eye. This example describes the results on outflow facility following the topical administration (i.e., via an eyedrop) of four different concentrations of H-7.

Following administration of ketamine (10 mg/kg) anesthesia, slit lamp examination was performed on the monkeys. Thereafter, the monkeys were anesthetized with IM pentobarbital-sodium (35 mg/kg). Baseline facility was measured (7 periods) by 2-level constant pressure perfusion of the anterior chamber; thereafter, the perfusion system was closed.

Four H-7 solutions of differing concentrations were manufactured: (i) a 90 mM solution (˜0.3 mg H7 dissolved in 10 μl of 10% DMSO with Barany's solution, pH of the resulting solution adjusted to approximately 7); (ii) a 150 mM solution (˜1.1 mg H7 dissolved in 20 μl of 25% DMSO with Barany's solution, pH of the resulting solution adjusted to approximately 7); (iii) a 450 mM H-7 solution (˜3.3 mg H7 dissolved in 20 μl of 25% DMSO with Barany's solution, pH of the resulting solution adjusted to approximately 7), and (iv) a 650 mM H-7 solution (˜5.7 mg H-7). Thereafter, each concentration of H-7 solution was administered to the superior cornea of one eye and vehicle (25% DMSO) to the opposite eye (5 μl×4 drops), waiting 90 seconds between each drop; in addition, the lower eyelid was lifted immediately after each drop to allow adequate drug/vehicle contact with the cornea. Two hours after H-7 administration, the perfusion system was reopened and facility was measured for 9 periods.

The resulting data are presented in FIG. 5B. In FIG. 5B, the ratio of Rx/BL indicates the increase in facility in eyes administered H-7 (ipsilateral eyes) or vehicle alone (i.e., control or contralateral eyes) over baseline measurements (BL=pre-treatment (baseline) and Rx=post-treatment with H-7 or vehicle alone). The "open" bars represent eyes administered vehicle only, while the "speckled" bars indicate eyes administered H-7. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of experimental animals, while *=p<0.02 and **=p<0.001 are the probabilities that the double ratio defined above will equal 1.0 by the 2-tailed paired t-test.

At 90 mM H-7, there was a suggestion of a small effect on outflow facility, but the effect was not statistically significant. By comparison, topical administration of 150 mM H-7 had a definite statistical effect on outflow facility. The administration of 450 and 650 mM had a larger effect, demonstrating that H-7 has a defined dose-response relationship when administered topically.

EXAMPLE 4 The Effect Of Topical Administration Of H-7 On Pupil And Accommodation In Cynomolgus Monkeys

The previous examples have been directed at the effect of H-7 on outflow facility. By contrast, this example examines the effect of topical administration of H-7 on pupil size and refraction in cynomolgus monkeys.

The experimental protocol was as follows. Following administration of ketamine (10 mg/kg) anesthesia, baseline slit lamp examination was performed on the six monkeys tested. Thereafter, the monkeys were anesthetized with IM pentobarbital-sodium (35 mg/kg). Baseline refraction (2-3 readings) and pupil size were then measured as described above. Subsequently, a 150 mM H-7 solution (1.0929 mg H7 dissolved in 20 μl of 25% DMSO with Barany's solution, pH of the resulting solution adjusted to approximately 7) was administered to the cornea of one eye, and vehicle (25% DMSO) to the opposite eye (5 μl×4 drops).

Beginning 45 minutes after H-7 administration, pupil size and refraction were evaluated every 15 minutes until 2 hours after the H-7 administration. A slit lamp examination was then performed to check for toxicity. The data are presented in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

FIG. 6A graphically illustrates the effect of topical H-7 on pupil size, pupil diameter (mm) being indicated as a function of time (min). Time 0 represents drug administration, and the open squares represent eyes treated with H-7, while the open diamonds represent the control eyes. The results indicate that the control pupil gets smaller with prolonged anesthesia, while the pupil subjected to H-7 does not. The following statistical levels are depicted in FIG. 6A: *=p<0.05, **=p<0.02, and ***=p<0.005 by the 2-tailed paired t-test for differences between eyes unequal to 0.0.

FIG. 6B graphically illustrates the effect of topical H-7 on refraction (diopters) indicated as a function of time (min). Again, time 0 represents drug administration, and the open squares represent eyes treated with H-7, while the open diamonds represent the control eyes. The results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in refraction between the control eye and the treated eye.

Therefore, while H-7 did have an effect on pupil size, a concomitant effect on refraction was not observed in monkeys.

EXAMPLE 5

H-7 Prevents Pupillo-Constrictive Effect Of Pilocarpine, But Not Accommodative Effect Of Pilocarpine

This example is directed at determining whether selective inhibition of miosis (dependent on contraction of the iris sphincter muscle) as compared to accommodation (dependent on contraction of the ciliary muscle) can be achieved.

FIGS. 7A-H graphically depict the results of this experiment, and reference to those figures will also assist in understanding the experimental protocol. The experiments of this example examined the miotic response (FIGS. 7A, C, E, and G), determined by pupil diameter (mm), and the accommodative response (FIGS. 7B, D, F, and H), measured in diopters, to pilocarpine in the presence or absence of H-7 in normal living monkey eyes. Each of the 4 rows of panels represents a different dose of H-7. In each row, the left-hand panel represents the pupillary diameter, while the right-hand panel represents the accommodative response in the same animals. Within each panel, "n" represents the number of animals for that protocol. In each experiment, baseline readings (BL) of the pupillary diameter were obtained with vernier calipers held just in front of the cornea, after which phenylephrine (2.5%) was topically administered to the eyes, resulting in mydriasis.

Thereafter, different protocols were used in the administration of H-7 to the animals. Six animals (FIGS. 7A and 7B) received 10 μL of 3 mM H-7 via transcorneal intracameral injection, resulting in a final anterior chamber concentration=300 μM. The remaining animals received H-7 by intravitreal injection as follows: (i) four animals (FIGS. 7C and 7D) received 10 μL of 75 mM H-7; (ii) six animals (FIGS. 7E and 7F) received 20 μL of 75 mM H-7, and (iii) six animals (FIGS. 7G and 7H) received 20 μL of 150 mM H-7, all in 50% DMSO. The final intravitreal concentrations of H-7 were 300 μM, 600 μM, and 1.2 mM, respectively. Contralateral control eyes received Barany's solution with 50% DMSO (FIGS. 7C-H) or without 50% DMSO (FIGS. 7A, B). Pupillary diameter and refraction (accommodation being defined as refraction at a given time point minus the baseline refraction) were measured approximately 25-30 minutes after phenylephrine (PE on the abscissae of the panels). H-7 was then administered, and pupil diameter and accommodation were measured 25 minutes later (H-7 on the graphs).

Thirty minutes following H-7 administration, pilocarpine (1.5 mg/kg) was infused IM into the thigh of the monkeys over a 10-minute period, insuring slowly rising but always equal pilocarpine concentrations reaching the iris sphincter and ciliary muscles of both eyes simultaneously. Pupillary diameter was then measured 30 minutes after pilocarpine administration (Pilo on the left-hand panels), while accommodation was measured every 5 minutes for ˜50 minutes beginning at the start of the IM infusion (Pilo on the right-hand panels). In FIGS. 7A-H, the solid lines connecting the solid squares indicate the eyes which will receive or have received H-7, while the solid lines connecting the open diamonds indicate the contralateral eyes of the same animals which received vehicle without H-7. The data in FIGS. 7A-H are mean±s.e.m. for n monkeys. The following significance levels are depicted in FIGS. 7A-H: *P<0.05; **P<0.01; ***P<0.001. The significance of the difference between treated and control pupil diameter (FIGS. 7A, 7E, 7G) or final accommodative response (FIG. 7H) was determined by the 2-tailed paired t-test.

As depicted in FIGS. 7A-H, the data show that H-7 dilates the ipsilateral pupil even beyond the effect of phenylephrine, and inhibits ipsilateral pilocarpine-induced miosis, at intracameral and intravitreal doses far lower than required for inhibition of accommodation. This is best shown in FIGS. 7A-B for intracamerally administered H-7 and FIGS. 7E-F and 7G-H for intravitreally administered H-7.

EXAMPLE 6 The Effect Of H-7 On Pilocarpine-Induced Contraction Of The Ciliary Muscle

The experiments of this example were designed to determine the effect of H-7 on the ciliary muscle's contractile response to pilocarpine. The muscle chamber apparatus that has been previously described was used in these experiments.

FIGS. 8A-C depict chart recorder traces obtained from a single in vitro ciliary muscle strip maintained in Krebs solution. In the traces, which are read from left to right, muscle strip contraction is indicated in the downward direction per the scale indicated; more specifically, in the scale shown in FIG. 8A, the length of the downward-pointing arrow indicates a contraction (tension) of 25 mg, while the length of the horizontal arrow pointing to the right indicates a duration of 5 minutes. Referring to FIGS. 8A-C, L=longitudinal contractile vector and C=circular contractile vector; Krebs=administration of Krebs solution without other drugs; pilo=administration of pilocarpine; and Pilo+H-7=concomitant administration of pilocarpine and H-7

In FIG. 8A, a ciliary muscle strip under baseline tone was first exposed to 10 μM pilocarpine, then to 10 μM pilocarpine+300 μM H-7. As indicated by the chart recorder trace, the initial addition of pilocarpine resulted in contraction. However, the addition of H-7 (i.e., pilocarpine+H-7) resulted in inhibition of the initial pilocarpine contraction within 10 minutes of exposure. At the conclusion of the experiment, washout of the muscle strip was achieved by exposure of perfusand without drugs for a 90 minute period (indicated by the "Krebs" designation in FIG. 8A).

Subsequent to the washout period, the same ciliary muscle strip was exposed to 10 μM of pilocarpine. As shown by the chart recorder trace in FIG. 8B, such exposure elicited no contraction in either vector. Finally, in the same ciliary muscle strip following a further 60 min of washout (now 2.5 hours after removal of H-7), 10 μM of pilocarpine now elicited sluggish contraction in both vectors; this is shown by the chart recorder trace in FIG. 8C.

The experiments described above suggest that the effects of H-7 are relatively long-lasting, even after its removal from the perfusand. This finding also suggests that the in vivo dissociation of miosis and accommodation in response to an intracameral or intravitreal infusion of H-7 (300 μM) may have a pharmacokinetic basis. Based on the data from this one concentration, H-7 appears to have no selectivity for one vector over the other; however, vector-selectivity might be observed at other concentrations.

EXAMPLE 7 Latrunculin-A Inhibition Of Cell Contractility

The experiments in this example were conducted to establish probable dose and time course for latrunculin-A for subsequent in vivo studies on living monkeys. As previously indicated, latrunculin-A is a Red Sea sponge-derived macrolide which forms a 1:1 molar complex with G-actin, preventing the nucleation and elongation of actin filaments.

An established line of bovine aortic endothelial cells were plated at half confluency on clean glass coverslips and cultured in DMEM, containing 1 g of glucose, 9% bovine calf serum, 100 mg penicillin, 100 mg streptomycin per 550 ml, for 2-4 days at 37° C., 7% CO₂ /93% O₂, 90% humidity. The medium was then changed to one containing Latrunculin-A concentrations of 0.02, 0.05. 0.2, 0.5, or 2.0 μM for 1, 2, 3, 5, or 24 hours, after which the cells were washed with 50 mM MES buffer, permeabilized with 0.5% Triton X-100 in MES, and fixed with 3% paraformaldehyde. The medium was then exposed to rhodamine phalloidin (for fluorescent labelling of actin), or to rabbit pan-cadherin primary antibody followed by goat anti-rabbit secondary antibody (for immunofluorescent labelling of cadherin, a major protein associated with cell-cell adherens junctions); and examined by fluorescence microscopy.

In associated experiments to judge the ability of the cells to recover from the drug, after exposure to drug for various concentrations and times (based on the previous experiments), the medium was changed to an identical one without drug for 15 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours, 18 hours or 22 hours, and the cells washed, fixed, labelled, and examined as above. Structural alterations were found in both the actin filaments and the cell-cell adhesions (in summary, disruption of the actin filaments within the cells and separation of cells from their neighbors) which were both drug-dose and exposure time-dependent; the higher the dose and the longer the exposure time, the more pronounced the effects. Analogously, recovery was also dose- and time-dependent; the lower the dose, the shorter the exposure time, and the longer the drug-free interval, the more normal the appearance.

Latrunculin-A concentrations greater than 0.5 μM had unequivocal effects after 1 hour of exposure, with partial recovery evident within 1-5 hours after removal of the drug. Lower concentrations had more subtle slower onset effects. Based on these findings, doses of 0.2, 0.5, 2.0, and 5.0 μM were studied in living monkeys, with the positive findings as described below. It is quite likely, albeit not yet tested, that lower concentrations for longer exposure times might also be effective.

EXAMPLE 8 Dose-Dependent Effects Of Latrunculin-A, Staurosporine, And Swinholide-A On Total Outflow Facility

This example involved an examination of the dose-dependent effect of latrunculin-A, staurosporine, and swinholide-A on total outflow facility. As previously described, latrunculin-A is a sea sponge-derived macrolide which forms a 1:1 molar complex with G-actin; staurosporin is a protein kinase inhibitor which disrupts the actin cytoskeleton, probably through a pathway involving inhibition of myosin light chain kinase; and swinholide-A is another sea-sponge derived macrolide which severs actin filaments and induces formation of G-actin dimers.

The experiments of this example were performed on adult cynomolgus and rhesus monkeys. Both normal monkeys and monkeys with unilateral ciliary muscle disinsertion from the scleral spur/trabecular meshwork were utilized. Briefly, the animals were anesthetized with ketamine (10 mg/kg) followed by pentobarbital sodium (35 mg/kg).

Bolus Injection: Total outflow facility was measured by 2-level constant pressure perfusion of the anterior chamber of both eyes simultaneously with Barany's solution, as described above. The anterior chamber of both eyes was cannulated with a single branched 26-gauge needle; one arm of the needle was connected by polypropylene tubing to a continuously-weighed reservoir of Barany's solution, while the other arm was connected to a pressure transducer. Facility measurements were taken for 35-45 minutes. With reservoirs open, 10 μl of either 5 or 20 μM latrunculin-A or 100 or 300 nM of swinholide-A were injected into the inflow tubing in one eye (0.5 μM, 2.0 μM, 10 nM, and 30 nM, respectively, in the 100 μl anterior chamber), vehicle in the other, via a custom-designed micro-t-piece (positioned 2-3 cm for the eye) and a micrometer syringe. After five minutes to allow the perfusand from an elevated reservoir to wash into the anterior chamber and 3 minutes for convection mixing of the anterior chamber by blowing cold air on the cornea, facility measurements were taken for 90 minutes.

Exchange Infusion: The anterior chamber of each eye was cannulated with a branched needle connected to a reservoir and an unbranched 26 gauge needle with the tubing clamped off. Baseline facility measurements were taken for 35-45 minutes. The clamped tubing from the unbranched needle was then connected to syringes containing either drug (0.2, 0.5, 2.0, and 5.0 μM latrunculin-A, 0.1, 1.0 or 10 μM staurosporine; and 10 or 30 nM swinholide-A) or vehicle. The vehicles used were as follows: i) latrunculin-A: 0.01% DMSO for 0.2 μM and 2.0 μM, 0.25% DMSO for 0.5 μM, and 0.025% DMSO for 5.0 μM; ii) staurosporin: 0.001% DMSO for 0.1 μM, 0.1% DMSO for 1.0 μM, and 1% DMSO for 10 μM; and iii) swinholide-A: 0.1% DMSO for 10 and 30 nM. The monkeys with unilateral ciliary muscle disinsertion received drug in both eyes. The syringes were placed in a variable-speed infusion pump and the reservoir (inflow) tubing disconnected, allowing infusion of 2.0 ml of solution through the anterior chamber over 10-15 minutes (maintaining intraocular pressure at ˜15 mm Hg).

The reservoirs were emptied and filled with the same solution being perfused through the eye. The reservoir tubing was then reconnected and the syringe tubing clamped. For latrunculin-A and swinholide-A, outflow facility measurements were immediately taken for 90 minutes. For staurosporine, the reservoirs were closed to inflow for 45 minutes, then opened and facility measurements were taken for 45 minutes. For the latrunculin-A reversibility exchanges, an exchange was done with 5.0 μM in one eye and vehicle in the other followed by a second exchange with vehicle give to both eyes. After each exchange, facility measurements were taken for 60 minutes.

Latrunculin-A

With regards to latrunculin-A, only exchange infusion induced a dose-dependent facility increase at 0.2, 0.5, 2.0, and 5.0 μM 8±14% (n=4, NS); 50±17% (n=8, p<0.025); 141±23% (n=9, p<0.001); and 329+119% (n=6, p<0.05); respectively! in normal monkeys. These data are graphically depicted in FIGS. 9A-D (FIG. 9A: 0.2 μM; FIG. 9B: 0.5 μM; FIG. 9C: 2.0 μM; and FIG. 9D: 5.0 μM), which show facility as a function of time, drug being administered at time=0. The following designations apply in those figures: BL Trt=pre-drug administration in eyes to receive drug (open squares with solid lines); BL Cont=pre-drug administration in eyes to receive vehicle without drug (open circles with dashed lines); p rx Trt=post-drug administration in eyes which received drug (open squares with dashed lines); and p rx Cont=post-drug administration in eyes which received vehicle without drug (open circles with dashed lines). It should be noted that the bolus infusion of latrunculin-A was probably ineffective because an effective drug concentration was not maintained for sufficient time. The data are also presented in Table 4, analyzed by 30-minute post-drug time intervals where the average values for each eye are themselves averaged to give group means for the 30-minute intervals.

                                      TABLE 4                                      __________________________________________________________________________     Latrunculin Exchange Facilities By 30 Minute Intervals                                     Facility (μL/min/mmHg)                                                                         (Rx/BL)/                                        Dose        Rx    Cont  Rx/Cont                                                                               (Cont/BL)                                       __________________________________________________________________________     0.2 μM                                                                             BL   0.38 ± 0.04                                                                       0.49 ± 0.09                                                                       0.80 ± 0.09                                         (n = 4)                                                                               30 min                                                                              0.50 ± 0.05                                                                       0.59 ± 0.11                                                                       0.90 ± 0.12                                                                        1.13 ± 0.12                                         60 min                                                                              0.65 ± 0.11                                                                       0.79 ± 0.12                                                                       0.85 ± 0.13                                                                        1.06 ± 0.14                                         90 min                                                                              0.79 ± 0.19                                                                       0.96 ± 0.16                                                                       0.85 ± 0.18                                                                        1.06 ± 0.20                                  0.5 μM                                                                             BL   0.32 ± 0.05                                                                       0.36 ± 0.09                                                                       1.02 ± 0.13                                         (n = 8)                                                                               30 min                                                                              0.45 ± 0.08                                                                       0.47 ± 0.13                                                                       1.21 ± 0.19                                                                        1.17 ± 0.18                                         60 min                                                                              0.76 ± 0.15                                                                       0.59 ± 0.16                                                                       1.51 ± 0.23                                                                         1.53 ± 0.18*                                       90 min                                                                              1.07 ± 0.26                                                                       0.69 ± 0.17                                                                        1.71 ± 0.29.sup..English Pound.                                                    1.77 ± 0.26*                                2.0 μM                                                                             BL   0.33 ± 0.03                                                                       0.42 ± 0.06                                                                       0.85 ± 0.09                                         (n = 9)                                                                               30 min                                                                              0.58 ± 0.09                                                                       0.45 ± 0.05                                                                        1.33 ± 0.13.sup..English Pound.                                                    1.61 ± 0.15†                                60 min                                                                              1.09 ± 0.17                                                                       0.58 ± 0.08                                                                       1.91 ± 0.19                                                                         2.33 ± 0.22‡                            90 min                                                                              1.74 ± 0.30                                                                       0.69 ± 0.11                                                                       2.56 ± 0.29                                                                         3.12 ± 0.36‡                     5.0 μM                                                                             BL   0.28 ± 0.06                                                                       0.29 ± 0.09                                                                       1.13 ± 0.13                                         (n = 6)                                                                               30 min                                                                              0.93 ± 0.30                                                                       0.39 ± 0.13                                                                        2.69 ± 0.51*                                                                       2.34 ± 0.30.sup.ƒ                         60 min                                                                              2.00 ± 0.61                                                                       0.50 ± 0.20                                                                       6.01 ± 2.10                                                                        .sup. 4.83 ± 1.30.sup.                              90 min                                                                              2.58 ± 0.80                                                                       0.66 ± 0.30                                                                       7.89 ± 3.15                                                                        6.14 ± 2.02                                  Baseline                                                                              BL.sub.1                                                                            0.32 ± 0.03                                                                       0.39 ± 0.05                                                                       0.95 ± 0.08                                         Comparisons                                                                           BL.sub.2                                                                            0.43 ± 0.09                                                                       0.42 ± 0.06                                                                       1.18 ± 0.26                                         (n = 14)                                                                              BL.sub.2 /BL.sub.1                                                                  1.38 ± 0.28                                                                       1.20 ± 0.13                                                                       1.26 ± 0.22                                         __________________________________________________________________________      BL = Baseline; Cont = Control eye; Rx = Drug treated eye. Data are mean        ± SEM for n animals. Postdrug data encompasses 30 min time windows          ending at the postdrug time indicated, i. e., "30 min" = 0=30 min postdru      administration, etc. .sup..English Pound. p < 0.05; .sup.ƒ p <        0.01; *p < 0.25; †p < 0.005; ‡ <0.0001 for ratios            different from 1.0 by the 2tailed paired ttest.                          

In addition, latrunculin-A was equally effective in ciliary muscle-disinserted eyes, showing a facility increase of 353±129% (n=9, p<0.05), and the control eyes showing a facility increase of 328±35% (p<0.001, at the 5.0 μM dose). These data, depicted in FIG. 9E and presented in Table 5, indicate that latrunculin-A has a direct trabecular meshwork effect rather than a secondary ciliary muscle-mediated action.

                  TABLE 5                                                          ______________________________________                                         Latrunculin-A - Ciliary Muscle Disinsertion                                               Facility (μl/min/mmHg)                                           Dose         CM Dis     Cont      CM Dis/Cont                                  ______________________________________                                         5.0 μM OU                                                                            BL      0.13 ± 0.01                                                                            0.38 ± 0.09                                                                         0.45 ± 0.08                             (n = 9)  PRx     0.65 ± 0.23                                                                            1.51 ± 0.30                                                                         0.43 ± 0.15                                      PRx/BL  4.53 ± 1.29                                                                            4.28 ± 0.35                                                                         1.06 ± 0.27                             ______________________________________                                          BL = Baseline; PRx = Post drug administration; CM Dis = ciliary muscle         disinsertion eye; Cont = Control eye. Data are mean ± SEM for n animal      with unilateral CM disinsertion receiving 5.0 μM LatAOU.              

Reversibility of the facility-effect of latrunculin-A (5.0 μM) was minimal for the first hour after removal of the drug, as depicted in FIG. 10. Referring to FIG. 10, each data point is the mean of the facility readings at that time for n monkeys, drug administration being at time=0. The following designations apply: baseline treated=pre-drug administration in eyes which will receive drug (open squares with solid lines); baseline control=pre-drug administration in eyes which will receive vehicle without drug (open circles with dashed lines); post drug #1/#2 treated=post-drug administration after the first/second exchange in eyes which received drug (open squares with dashed lines); post drug #1/#2 control=post-drug administration after the first/second exchange in eyes which received vehicle without drug (open circles with dashed lines).

The minimal reversibility exhibited by latrunculin-A was probably due to the washout of resistance-relevant material when the drug was present which does not reform quickly following drug removal. Indeed, it may not reform by the next perfusion, as indicated by the baseline comparisons.

Staurosporine

Exchange infusion of staurosporine produced a dose-dependent facility increase at 0.1 μM, 1M, and 10 μM -2±3% (n=4, NS); 68±24% (n=7, p<0.05); and 168±48% (n=8, p<0.01); respectively!. These data are graphically depicted in FIGS. 11A-C (FIG. 11A: 0.1 μM; FIG. 11B: 1.0 μM; FIG. 11C: 10.0 μM), which show facility as a function of time, drug being administered at time=0. The same designations described above for FIGS. 9A-D also apply for FIGS. 11A-C. In addition, these data are presented in Table 6, where the average value for each eye are themselves averaged to give group means for the entire time period.

                  TABLE 6                                                          ______________________________________                                         Staurosporin Exchange Facilities                                                      Facility (μl/min/mmHg)                                                                              (Rx/BL)/                                        Dose     Rx        Cont      Rx/Cont (Cont/BL)                                 ______________________________________                                         0.1 μM                                                                            BL     0.30 ± 0.09                                                                           0.29 ± 0.09                                                                         1.04 ± 0.14                                  (n = 4)                                                                              PRx    0.27 ± 0.07                                                                           0.28 ± 0.08                                                                         1.03 ± 0.17                                                                         0.98 ± 0.04                          1.0 μM                                                                            BL     0.28 ± 0.05                                                                           0.30 ± 0.05                                                                         0.96 ± 0.11                                  (n = 8)                                                                              PRx    0.49 ± 0.10                                                                           0.33 ± 0.05                                                                         1.57 ± 0.29                                                                         1.68 ±                                                                      0.24.sup..English Pound.                10 μM                                                                             BL     0.32 ± 0.05                                                                           0.44 ± 0.08                                                                         0.81 ± 0.12                                  (n = 8)                                                                              PRx    0.74 ± 0.18                                                                           0.39 ± 0.08                                                                         1.99 ± 0.43                                                                         2.68 ±                                                                      0.48.sup.ƒ                     ______________________________________                                          BL = Baseline; PRx = Post drug administration; Rx = Treated drug eye; Con      = Control eye. Postdrug data encompasses 45 min, beginning 45 min after        drug administration. Data are mean ± SEM for n animals. .sup..English       Pound. p < 0.05; .sup.ƒ p < 0.01 for ratios different from 1.0 b      the 2tailed paired ttest.                                                

Swinholide-A

Swinholide-A doses of 10 and 30 nM did not increase facility, whether administered by bolus or exchange infusion (data not shown). It should be noted, however, that in vitro cell culture experiments with swinholide-A did reveal an effect on the cells' actin filaments and cell-cell adhesion. Indeed, those experiments suggested that the dosage range of swinholide-A tested in the in vivo monkey experiments described in this example would be at the low end of the dose-duration-efficacy relationship.

Therefore, as previously indicated, the apparent ineffectiveness of swinholide-A may be due to inadequate dose or exposure time, not to the compound itself. Conversely, this apparent ineffectiveness may not have a pharmacokinetic basis.

Based on the results of these experiments, latrunculin-A and staurosporine increased outflow facility. Though swinholide-A did not appear to be effective, these are likely due to the testing conditions employed. In addition to being potentially advantageous agents in the treatment of glaucoma, the results of the latrunculin-A and staurosporine experiments indicate that actin cytoskeleton disorganization in the trabecular meshwork can increase outflow facility in monkeys.

From the above, it should be evident that the present invention provides for new agents for the potential treatment of glaucoma. These agents, which act via pharmacological interference with cell adhesions and the associated actin filaments in the ocular fluid drainage pathways, present a clearly needed alternative to the pharmacological modalities currently employed. 

We claim:
 1. A method of enhancing aqueous humor outflow in the eye of a subject to treat glaucoma, comprising:a) providing a subject with glaucoma; and b) administering to said subject an ophthalmic preparation comprising an effective amount of latrunculin-A or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, thereby enhancing aqueous humor outflow in the eye and treating the glaucoma.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said administration is topical.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said administration is intracameral.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said administration is intracanalicular. 